The Warriors were defeated by the Kings on Wednesday night, and Kevon Looney's absence was felt in the frontcourt.

The Golden State Warriors (21-21) and Sacramento Kings (22-20) entered Wednesday night's game at Golden 1 Center with just one game separating them in the Western Conference standings. Two Pacific Division teams, Golden State and Sacramento are both competing for playoff spots.

The new-look Warriors starting lineup for Wednesday's matchup is Steph Curry, Buddy Hield, Andrew Wiggins, Gary Payton II, and Kevon Looney. Payton and Looney have each started just five games this season, while Hield has started ten.

Looney ended with six points (3-5 FG, 0-1 FT), 11 rebounds, two assists, two blocks and one steal across 24 minutes during Tuesday's 114-103 win over the Jazz. Trayce Jackson-Davis started this game,

The Golden State Warriors were forced to adjust when Kevon Looney left their matchup against the Sacramento Kings with an illness. They could not handle those adjustments well enough to secure a win,

In the early stages of a “make-or-break” stretch of games before the Feb. 6 trade deadline, what looked like a promising night for Golden State (21-22) ended with “Light The Beam” chants and a 123-117 loss. The Warriors committed 19 turnovers, negating a hot shooting night.

Looney started Wednesday's game but was replaced by Trayce Jackson-Davis to open the second half. Looney finishes the contest scoreless on three field goal attempts with two rebounds across nine minutes. Quinten Post and Jackson-Davis should handle center duties the rest of the way. Looney's next chance to play will come Thursday against Chicago.

BOTTOM LINE: Sacramento hosts Golden State trying to continue its six-game home winning streak. The Kings are 3-6 against Pacific Division teams. Sacramento is eighth in the Western Conference in team defense, giving up just 113.9 points while holding opponents to 46.3% shooting.

Although the Golden State Warriors are coming off a humiliating loss at the hands of the defending champs, Jon Metler breaks down why the Golden State Warriors are being undervalued ahead of tonight's matchup in Sacramento.

The Golden State Warriors were forced to adjust when Kevon Looney left their matchup against the Sacramento Kings with an illness. They could not handle those adjustments well enough to secure a ...

Sacramento Kings (22-20, eighth in the Western Conference ... in the Western Conference with 46.4 rebounds per game led by Kevon Looney averaging 6.9. The 116.7 points per game the Kings average ...

The NBA trade deadline draws closer by the day, and as always, the transaction cycle remains headlined by the same small group of players. On Monday, the Miami Heat suspended Jimmy Butler indefinitely after he walked out of a shootaround upon receiving the news that he would be benched.