Game #3: Kings vs. Timberwolves Preview

The Young Pups come to play.

What: Kings vs. Minnesota Timberwolves

When: 7:30 P.M. PT

Where: Golden 1 Center

How to Watch: CSN California, NBA TV

The Sacramento Kings are winless at the Golden 1 Center. Let that statement eat away at your heart and crush your soul. The good news is that they can rebound quickly and capture their first home win with a victory tonight against a Timberwolves team stacked with young talent. The home opener may have been spoiled but we shouldn't feel too bad about an eight-point loss to a title contender (recap here). Let's take a look at what tonight's opponent brings to the table.

Young and Hungry

The Minnesota Timberwolves are the only franchise in the NBA with a longer postseason drought than our very own Sacramento Kings. Hooray! The bad news is, unlike the Kings, they have hit on a string of draft picks over the past three or four years. Many writers and fans around the league agree that these Timberwolves will be one of the most entertaining teams to watch this season and it's hard not to see why. Former #1 overall picks Karl Anthony Towns and Andrew Wiggins seem destined for superstardom. Zach LaVine, who is mostly recognized for his Dunk Contest accolades as the reigning two-time champ, can fill it up in his off-guard role (16.4 PPG after the All-Star break last season). Center Gorgui Dieng is an emerging defensive presence. And their newest first round pick Kris Dunn should eventually take over the lead guard spot after some tutelage from incumbent Ricky Rubio. Add in the addition of defensive mastermind Tom Thibodeau as their new head coach and things seem to be really heading in the right direction for the Timberwolves. Have any doubts about how well-coached the Wolves will be? Well here's Thibs scouting the Kings on Thursday night at the home opener.

That is laser-like focus. In almost a creepy way. But it's all part of the job I suppose.

Containing the Big Dog

Karl Anthony Towns is a very, very good basketball player. There are two players in the league right now who are more deadly than KAT on the block: the Spurs' LaMarcus Aldridge and DeMarcus Cousins. That's it. The crazy thing about that last statement is the fact that Towns is only in his second year in the NBA and at age 20, possesses footwork and savvy around the basket far more advanced than what Aldridge and Boogie had at that age in their respective careers. Just think about how insane that is. And he's only going to get better. But I'm definitely not the one cowering in fear and scared of what this guy will eventually become. Nope. Not me. You are. Get it together, you wuss. If you'd rather not watch him destroy the Kings in the video above, watch him flash his ridiculous skill set in last season's All-Star Skills Challenge (an event that he won by the way).

Resolve or Regress?

The Kings got off to a blistering start to their season by throttling the Suns in Phoenix. They came home and lost a hard-fought contest to one of the best teams in the league in the Spurs. They've now experienced the high of a big win and the low of a disappointing loss. In seasons past, many of us may have felt that a letdown like the one against San Antonio would cause the team's morale and chemistry to regress. But the way the team has played thus far with their improvement on defense and structure on offense should have us believing that this team won't let the home-opening loss affect them from here on out. Resolve is the key word here. The Kings need to show it if they expect to make some noise this season in what should be another brutal season in the Western Conference.