Golden State Warriors vs Sacramento Kings Preview (4/17/23): Prediction, Starting Lineups, Odds
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After an intense back-and-forth Game 1 that resulted in a narrow Kings home victory, Sacramento and Golden State will again battle it out in one of the most exciting first-round playoff matchups.
Check out the full breakdown and analysis for Game 2 of the Warriors versus Kings below, featuring our betting picks, current odds, and updated injury reports for both teams.
Golden State Warriors Vs. Sacramento Kings Betting Odds
Despite losing in Game 1, the Golden State Warriors are slight 1.5-point road favorites against the Sacramento Kings. The only key injury to watch for Game 2 is Jordan Poole, whose availability is in question due to a left ankle injury.
Golden State Warriors Vs. Sacramento Kings Prediction
After a narrow home win against the Warriors, Sacramento will look to extend its series lead to 2-0 tonight. The Kings beat Golden State by just three points, and it took a masterful performance from De’Aaron Fox to squeak out the win. Can Fox and the Kings win a second-consecutive game against the Dubs? Not likely.
Golden State only lost by three points to the Kings in Game 1; it took a 38-point performance from De’Aaron Fox, 15 of which came in the fourth quarter, and a 32-point outing from sixth-man Malik Monk just to squeak by the Warriors. Sacramento also scored 16 more points in the paint, pulled down nine more rebounds, and shot nearly 6% better from deep, despite Golden State having the second-best 3P% in the NBA.
Of course, the counterpoint to all of these is that Domantas Sabonis is due for a better outing than in Game 1; however, expect Golden State to make plenty of adjustments between games, as championship teams do, and clean up the areas it struggled in. Kevon Looney is the perfect big to put on Sabonis, as he is extremely physical and has a high post-defense IQ.
All signs point to Golden State stealing a game on the road, despite struggling defense, as its pace should continue to wear down the Kings over time.
Betting Trends
- Golden State is 0-1 ATS in the 2023 playoffs
- Golden State is 11-31 ATS on the road for the entirety of the 2022-23 season and playoffs
- Sacramento is 1-0 ATS in the 2023 playoffs
- Game 1 in the 2023 playoffs went over the point total (1-0)
Key Matchups
The key matchup for this bout belongs to De’Aaron Fox and Steph Curry, the two leading scorers for their respective teams in Game 1. Check out which player has the advantage in the second edition of this blockbuster series!
De’Aaron Fox vs. Steph Curry
This entire season, De’Aaron Fox has been applauded for his clutch scoring late in games. Once again, he proved why this was the case, scoring 15 of his game-high 38 points in the fourth quarter. Curry and the Warriors’ defense had absolutely no answer for Fox, who was scoring at all three levels the entire night. Will it be more of the same this game, or will Curry blow up and lead Golden State to a rare road win?
Despite being outshined by Fox, Steph Curry still posted 30 points on an efficient 11-20 from the floor and 6-14 from deep. Curry has been shooting the lights out of the ball all season against the Kings. In four games against Sacramento in the 2022-23 regular season, he posted a line of 33/6.5/5 on a superb 58/50/92 shooting split.
Curry and the Warriors should step up in Game 2. This team has championship pedigree and professionalism, and despite their defensive struggles on the road this season, Curry almost never skips a beat offensively. The Dubs will put together a defensive plan to slow down Fox a bit, but Curry is virtually impossible to gameplan for.
Golden State Warriors Starting Lineup
PG: Steph Curry
SG: Donte DiVincenzo
SF: Klay Thompson
PF: Draymond Green
C: Kevon Looney
Sacramento Kings Starting Lineups
PG: De’Aaron Fox
SG: Kevin Huerter
SF: Harrison Barnes
PF: Keegan Murray
C: Domantas Sabonis
Key Injuries
Golden State Warriors Injuries: Andre Iguodala (Out), Ryan Rollins (Out), Jordan Poole (Q)
Sacramento Kings Injuries: Matthew Dellavedova (Out)
