NBA playoff preview and tips: Golden State Warriors at Sacramento Kings
- George Dempsey
- 17 April 2023
Sacramento Kings and Golden State Warriors served up a thriller on Saturday and the teams will meet again in game two of their NBA playoff series.
We said that it would be wild, and boy did it live up to the hype. The Kings and the Warriors produced the standout game of the NBA playoffs so far, with Sacramento winning 126-123.
The game was back and forth with as many as 11 lead changes in the first half. That was a constant theme throughout the fourth quarter, despite Golden State taking an eight-point lead late in the third.
Steph Curry led the scoring with 30 points and six of 14 from beyond the arc, although the main plus for the Warriors was how well they shared the ball, recording 31 assists.
De'Aaron Fox just took over for the Kings with 38 points, whilst Domantas Sabonis contributed 12 points and 16 rebounds. Malik Monk torched his season average of 13.5ppg to drop 32 from the bench.
The Warriors will need to improve defensively to give themselves a chance of winning on the road in this series, however, this is a team that allows 122.5 points per game on their travels.
The number one-ranked offence in the NBA belongs to the Sacramento Kings with an offensive rating of 118.6. They're 123.37 points per game at the Golden 1 Center.
Even though the teams combined for 249 points in game one, the shooting percentages weren't incredible. Sacramento shot less than 45% and Golden State less than 48%. Curry and co made 16 of their 50 attempts from three-point range.
The key factors in the final score were the pace at which the game was played and the number of turnovers from the teams. The Kings attempted 98 field goals, with the Warriors throwing up 90 attempts. The NBA average is 88.
The perception is that playoff basketball is more defensive, with familiarity between the teams leading to lower-scoring games.
The Warriors have now scored 115, 116 and 123 in their three trips to Sacramento this season, with the Kings improving on their previous high of 122.
Both teams will likely do a better job of looking after the ball in game two, though the pace will still be frantic and Golden State should improve from beyond the arc, leading to another high-scoring game.
Standout Trends
The over is 23-11 in Sacramento's last 24 games as a home favourite.
The over is 26-12-1 in Sacramento's last 39 games at home.
The over is 36-14-1 in Golden State's last 53 road games.
The over is 13-3 in Golden State's last 16 games as a road underdog.
