The NBA playoffs get officially underway Saturday, and the Western Conference features an interesting matchup between the Golden State Warriors (44-38) and the Sacramento Kings (48-34). The Kings will host this one at Golden 1 Center, with tipoff scheduled for 8:30 pm ET.
Sacramento is the slight favorite playing at home. They are -112 to win, while the Warriors’ moneyline sits at -104. The spread features Golden State +1 (-112), and the over/under for total points is 236.5 (-110).
Warriors Have To Play Better On The Road
With Steph Curry and Klay Thompson leading the charge, the Golden State Warriors are a tough draw for any team. They have been especially tough as of late, winning three in a row and eight of their last 10. Still, they have to play better on the road in the playoffs if they want to make a deep run after going just 11-30 on the road during the regular season.
Offensively, the Warriors trailed only the Kings in scoring, averaging 118.9 points per game. Over their last three games, that number has soared to a ridiculous 137.3 points.
Leading the offensive charge is guard Steph Curry. In 56 games during the regular season, Curry averaged 29.4 points, 6.1 rebounds, and 6.3 assists per game.
Other significant contributors for Golden State include Klay Thompson (21.9 points, 4.1 rebounds), Jordan Poole (20.4 points, 4.5 assists), and Andrew Wiggins (17.1 points, 5 rebounds).
The Warriors struggle on the defensive end. They rank 21st, allowing opponents an average of 117.1 points per game (107.7 over their last three contests).
Sacramento Looks To Live Up To No. 3 Seed
In the playoffs for the first time since 2006, the Sacramento Kings have high hopes as they were able to propel to the No. 3 seed in the West. While they have a tough draw in the Warriors, the Kings have featured one of the best teams much of the season.
Sacramento is especially tough on offense, where they led all teams in scoring, averaging 120.7 points per game (123.4 points per game at home). De’Aaron Fox is one of six players averaging double digits, putting up 25 points and 6.1 assists per game over 73 games.
Domantas Sabonis (19.1 points, 12.3 rebounds, 7.3 assists), Kevin Huerter (15.2 points, 3.3 rebounds), Harrison Barnes (15 points, 4.5 rebounds), Malik Monk (13.5 points, 3.9 assists), and Keegan Murray (12.2 points, 4.6 rebounds) also had exceptional years.
Like the Warriors, the Kings struggle on the defensive end. They rank 26th, allowing 118.1 points per game to opponents (120.1 at home).
Take Sacramento To Series Opener
Looking at the trends, the Warriors are 5-1 straight up and 4-2 against the spread in their last six games. In their last nine games against the Kings, they are 8-1, including going 3-1 against them this season.
As for the Kings, they are 1-4 in their last five games and 1-6 against the spread in their last seven home games. In their last 18 home games versus Golden State, they are 4-14.
This is a tough one to call. Both teams play similar styles with high-octane offenses and suspect defenses. Golden State has the experience factor, but they have been atrocious on the road.
At least in Game 1, expect Sacramento to feed off the buzz from the home crowd and pick up the early win. Take Sacrament to win at home (-112).
