Portland's schedule is the other half of the story. The Blazers host the London Lions at Moda Center on Monday at 1:00 PM local, the first time a British club has ever played an NBA team. Then they fly to Sacramento for a 7:00 PM PT tip the next night. That Lions game will show what Portland's rotation looks like right now, and how many minutes the regulars play on Monday will hint at how many they play on Tuesday.
Jeremy Sochan is the name to watch on Portland's end. The Blazers signed him this offseason, and he's a big reason the London game carries a domestic angle on the other side of the Atlantic. How the Blazers use him in back-to-back exhibitions, and whether the starters even play on the second night, will be a coach's call made after Monday's game, not before.
For Sacramento, the bright spots at Chase Center were real if small. Even short-handed, the Kings won the 1st and 4th quarters. What sank them was one 37-point Warriors quarter, along with 23 points, 10 rebounds and 6 assists from Yaxel Lendeborg. If Sabonis comes back, the frontcourt math changes in a hurry. If he doesn't, the Kings are hunting for size, and a tired Portland roster on the second night is about as friendly a spot as they'll get to look at a few options.
That's the honest stakes picture for an exhibition: a Kings team trying to come out of October with a healthy center rotation, and a Blazers team playing its 2nd game in 2 days off a historic afternoon at home. Watch who suits up for Sacramento before you watch the scoreboard.