Kings take on Warriors in Oakland

Sacramento is No. 8 in the Western Conference playoff race and is just 1 1/2 games ahead of the Utah Jazz.

The Kings play the second of a brief two-game road trip. On Wednesday, Brad Miller ended with 24 points on 8-of-15 shooting from the floor, as Sacramento defeated the Portland Trail Blazers, 106-90, at the Rose Garden.

Shareef Abdur-Rahim came off the bench and scored 21 points on 8-of-11 shooting from the field in the win over Portland for the Kings, who won for the first time in three games.

Mike Bibby netted 19 and was 4-of-5 from beyond the arc, while Ron Artest finished with 11 points and six assists for Sacramento, which shot a solid 51.3 percent from the floor, including and impressive 12-of-18 from beyond the arc.

Sacramento is just 13-23 as the visitor this season.

The Warriors, who play the finale of a three-game homestand, try and put the brakes on a two-game skid. On Wednesday, Rasual Butler scored 20 points as the New Orleans/Oklahoma City Hornets edged Golden State, 86-85, at The Arena in Oakland.

Jason Richardson and Mike Dunleavy scored 19 points apiece in the loss to the Hornets for the Warriors, who have dropped three of their last five games overall. Derek Fisher scored 16 points, while Troy Murphy netted 12 points and pulled down 12 rebounds.

Golden State is 18-18 at home this season. After tonight’s game, the Warriors are scheduled to embark on a three-game road trip. They will visit Minnesota, Memphis and the Hornets on the upcoming swing.

This is the fourth and final meeting of the campaign between the squads. The teams split a pair of contests at Sacramento, while the Warriors defeated the Kings, 113-106, on November 30th at The Arena.

Sacramento has lost two straight and four of its last five at Golden State.