Warriors at  Kings: Game 1

By Sam Batz

On Saturday, April 15th the reigning NBA Champion Golden State Warriors will travel to California’s capital for Game 1 of their First Round series against the Sacramento Kings (8:30 PM EST, ESPN). The Kings are the surprising No. 3 seed in the West, while the Warriors rallied late to secure the No. 6 seed. Golden State was 3-1 against Sacramnento in the regular season, and beat the Kings 119-97 in the second to last game of the year. Regardless, the Kings are a newly revitalized team, and this series is promising to be one of the closest First Round matchups this postseason. Sacramento has bright-eyed youthful vigor on their side, while the Warriors have experience and wisdom on theirs. 

The Golden State Warriors (-105)

The Warriors had a slow start to the season after winning the Finals in 2022, but they finished strong, going 44-38 (53.7%), and securing a spot in the playoffs for the 8th time in 10 years. Golden State seems to switch to a higher gear in the postseason, and even though they are just the No. 6 seed, most teams will want to avoid playing them. Golden State is playing for their 5th ring since 2015 and are priced at +900 (T-4th) to get it done. The Warriors biggest achilles heel is their inability to win on the road. They were 11-30 (26.9%) in away games this season, and it’s the biggest obstacle for Golden State coming into the playoffs. 

The Sacramento Kings (-115)

The Kings have not been in the playoffs since 2006, which was the longest postseason drought in the NBA (16 years). But not only did it rain in Sacramento this year, it poured! The Kings led the league in scoring, which propelled them to a 48-34 (58.5%) record, and the No. 3 seed in the West. Sacramento is the top-ranked offense (118.6) and plays an extremely fast-paced, high-volume, style of basketball. They are a run-and-gun type of offense that generates plenty of shots, while not sacrificing efficiency, and the Warriors are going to have their hands full trying to keep up with the Kings.

Warriors vs. Kings Odds

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Warriors vs. Kings: Season Stats

Warriors vs. Kings: Betting Trends

Warriors vs. Kings: Game Changers

Golden State Warriors

• Steph Curry has been deadly in the postseason throughout his career and leads the Warriors with 29.4 points, 6.3 assists, and 6.1 rebounds per game. Curry averaged 33.0 points per game against Sacramento this season
• Klay Thompson & Jordan Poole average 20+ points per game; Poole played in all 82 games this season
• 33-year old Draymond Green is a postseason veteran who will pester the Kings all series

Sacramento Kings

• Domantas Sabonis leads the NBA with 65 double-doubles, and leads the Kings in rebounds (12.3) and assists (7.3) per game
• The speedy De’Aaron Fox leads the Kings with 25.0 points per game (14th)
• The Kings have 6 players who average double-digit scoring figures per game, the Warriors have 4

Warriors vs. Kings Prediction

Take the Sacramento Kings to win Game 1. It will be a close game, but in a matchup between the two top-scorers in the NBA, I’ll go with the side averaging 120+ points per game. The Warriors are downright terrible on the road, and with the added pressure of the postseason, I don’t expect that to improve. The Kings have home-court advantage, and in a series highly likely to go to 7 games, Sacramento will benefit greatly. It will be a close game on Saturday, but I have faith in the Kings to defend their home properly.

Prediction: Sacramento Kings Moneyline (-115)

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