Last year, the Sacramento Kings agreed to start basketball games a half-hour later than usual during their first season at the downtown arena to give commuter traffic more time to depart downtown before Kings fans poured in.
That worked out well. Traffic congestion before games at Golden 1 Center was generally minimal and limited to a few blocks around the arena.
This year, the Kings have decided to move standard game times earlier to 7 p.m. Season ticket holders reportedly like that better than last year’s 7:30 p.m. start times. It allows them to get home a half-hour earlier, which is helpful on weeknights for those who work the next day.