Warriors, Kings Try to Clear Up Some Issues

Oct. 12, 2010STEINMETZ ARCHIVEWARRIORS PAGEWARRIORS VIDEO
KINGS PAGEKINGS VIDEOMatt SteinmetzCSNBayArea.com

The Warriors and Kings play tonight, the second time the teams will play against each other in three days. The Warriors beat the Kings 95-86 on Sunday in Oakland. Tonight's game is in Sacramento, and here a few things to watch:
-- Sacramento coach Paul Westphal is trying to figure out how his backcourt is going to shake out -- and Pooh Jeter and Luther Head are the principles.The Kings' starting backcourt seems set, with Beno Udrih and Tyreke Evans the likely starters. Udrih hasn't played in the preseason because of a shoulder injury. The issue is: Who will play backup point guard?Surely, Evans will slide over to point at certain times when Udrih is off the floor, but Westphal is trying to figure out who will initiate the offense when it's neither Udrih nor Evans.Jeter is more of a true point guard; Head more of a scoring, combo guard. But it was Head who was most impressive Sunday, scoring 13 points and handing out four assists in 26 minutes.
-- Will Warriors training camp invitee Jeff Adrien continue on his path to making the team? Adrien had 11 points and 15 rebounds in 22 minutes Sunday, and defended DeMarcus Cousins pretty well.If Adrien keeps stacking big rebounding games on top of big rebounding games, he's going to be tough to keep off the 15-man roster.-- Warriors forward Brandan Wright has struggled in the preseason, and coach Keith Smart removed him from Sunday's game after a poor two-and-a-half minute stint.Smart has been stressing that he needs Wright to be more aggressive, and one way to measure that is how Wright rebounds. So far in the preseason, Wright has just five rebounds in 32 minutes.The Warriors have held their first two preseason opponents -- L.A. Clippers and Sacramento -- to 87 and 86 points, respectively. It will be worth noting whether or not the Warriors can continue to sustain their defense on the road.What's your take? Email Matt and let him know. He may use it in his Mailbag.