Warriors vs. Kings Series Preview: Don't Count Out the Kings Just Yet
The Sacramento Kings and Golden State Warriors will meet in the first round of the Western Conference playoffs beginning Saturday night.
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The No. 3 seed Sacramento Kings will make their first playoff appearance in 17 years against the No. 6 seed, the defending NBA Champion Golden State Warriors. Only about 90 miles separate the two stadiums, with the Warriors coming in as -280 favorites to advance to the Semifinals on the FanDuel Sportsbook.Need to Know
Sacramento is more than just a feel-good story. Led by a pair of all-stars in De’Aaron Fox and Domantas Sabonis, a well-balanced, explosive, and deep roster surrounds the two. Former Warriors top assistant Mike Brown leads the charge, earning well-deserved Coach of the Year honors on Thursday. They’ve put together the best offensive rating in the NBA, with their high-flying pace that causes matchup nightmares.
Starting the campaign 15-18 and Stephen Curry missing about a third of the season, the Warriors have overcome adversity to be in this spot. Recently, they’ve won eight of ten games, providing confidence at the right time. The Warriors’ playoff experience is overwhelming, and they will be ready to flip the page, despite their seeding, holding the second-best odds to come out of the West.
Injury Report
Harrison Barnes is Sacramento’s only serious injury concern, suffering a minor ankle injury in Wednesday’s practice. He’s expected to be ready for Saturday’s series opener.
Andrew Wiggins is expected to return Saturday after tending to a personal matter for the past two months. He’ll progress back into the rotation but will be an immense boost to a team that lacked depth.
Key MatchupsCurry vs. Fox is the big ticket, as the two guards are electrifying. However, I’m more excited to see the battle in the paint between Domantas Sabonis and Draymond Green. Sabonis has averaged nearly 20 points per game and over seven assists while leading the NBA in rebounding at 12.3. Green doesn’t have glamorous stats, but his presence speaks for itself. He and Sabonis will have a heck of a back-and-forth that could decide the series.
Series PickThe media is all over the Warriors as the seeding underdog, but I think Sacramento is being disrespected with their +230 odds to advance. Regardless of the turnout, this could be the best first-round series, as these teams play fast and score many points. Golden State’s championship experience might be the difference, but getting the Kings at +230 is immense value. Not to mention, Brown knows the ins and outs of the Warriors after spending six years beside Steve Kerr.
Best Bet- Series Total Games: 7 (+220)
- Game 1/Series Parlay: Kings/Kings (+310)
Maybe a little bit of the fan in me is seeping through, but I genuinely think and hope this series goes the distance. We never had the opportunity to honestly watch these two clubs square off at full strength, with three of the four games coming in the first 13 games, and the season series finale had the Kings resting everyone. We truly have no idea what to expect with this series.
The Sacramento crowd will be electric as it’s their first playoff game since 2006 against a team that’s 90 miles away and has won four championships in that time. The Kings are only one-point favorites for Game 1, and I see them feeding off the crowd’s energy to victory, making the +310 value for them to advance worthwhile.
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