Sacramento Kings vs Golden State Warriors Prediction & Betting Tips - NBA

Prediction published on 16/04/2023, 21:08  by Joseph King | Modified on 16/04/2023 at 22:08 in NBA Predictions

The first round in the Western Conference of the NBA Playoffs sees the Sacramento Kings hosting the Golden State Warriors for game two of this best-of-seven series. Sacramento scored the first knockdown on the defending champions, pulling ahead 1-0 in the series thanks to a 126-123 win in game one on Saturday. Game one lived up to the sentiment that this was going to be an entertaining, high-scoring series. These were the two highest-scoring offenses in the regular season; the Kings led the league with an average of 120.8 points per game while the Warriors ranked second with 119 points per game. The oddsmakers are clearly undeterred from the game one result as they still have the experienced Warriors listed as 1.64 favorites to advance to the next round while the newcomer Kings come in at odds of 2.32. The winner of this matchup will meet the winner of the Grizzlies vs Lakers series in the Western Conference semi-finals.

Given their lower seeding, Golden state will eventually have to overcome their abysmal road performance if they are to progress. However, the pieces could be in place for a game two win. The Warriors were very close to stealing game one and the Kings actually posted a better road record than they did at the Golden 1 Center in the regular season. Sacramento won 21 games at home compared to 25 on the road. Additionally, the Dubs likely won’t be too discouraged from the game one loss. They’ve certainly been in this position before and they would have come in with the goal of just needing to take one from the first two road games before bringing the series back to the fortress that is the Chase Center. The inexperience in the Kings team could play a part here as the players will no doubt be thrilled with winning their first playoff game since the 2006 season. There is a danger for a potential let-down spot for Sacramento here.