Kings vs. Warriors Point Spread: NBA Odds, Prediction
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Jeremy Perry
The Golden State Warriors have struggled over the past week and a half, saddled by bad three-point shooting from Klay Thompson and Kevin Durant. The Warriors, when every shot is falling, are fearsome and still the best team in basketball and they did rebound with a strong effort in Friday’s victory over Portland.
The Sacramento Kings are defying expectations, doing far better than most people thought they would. If the season ended today, they would be in the Western Conference playoffs, showing a level of player development which has caught some of their Pacific Division competitors by surprise. The two teams meet Saturday in Oakland, with the defending champions playing the second game of a home back-to-back set. The Kings haven’t played since Wednesday.
NBA Point Spread and Betting Analysis
The Warriors were hammered by the Oklahoma City Thunder at home on Wednesday, their fifth loss in the last six games, but won and covered easily against Portland. They are 9-11 against the spread this season, 12-7 ATS at home.
The Kings are 11-6-1 against the spread this season after beating the Utah Jazz this past Wednesday. They are 10-8 overall, and have shown through roughly one-fourth of the season that they can be a factor in the West. There is a lot of flux in the conference, and the Kings have to show in the next two months of the season that they have the stamina and the toughness to remain in contention, but through the first six weeks of the season, this journey has gone extremely well, with head coach Dave Joerger beginning to pull more effort and quality from a mixture of young and veteran players.
Sacramento Kings
The Kings beat the slumping Utah Jazz on Wednesday, scoring 119 points against a Utah team which, last year, was one of the best defensive teams in the league.
The Kings hit 53 percent of their field goals, and hit 11 of 25 tries from the three-point line, or 44 percent. Utah was just 12 of 39 from three. Sacramento was much more efficient. The Kings committed only 11 turnovers and got 23 points from Willie Cauley-Stein. All five members of their starting five scored in double figures. Seven players scored in double figures overall. It was a balanced and complete offensive performance.
Golden State Warriors
The Warriors lacked Steph Curry for last week’s three-game road swing in Texas – against Houston, Dallas, and San Antonio. They did not have Draymond Green either, and they did not have either Curry or Green Wednesday versus the Oklahoma City Thunder. They lost all four of those games, and lost at home to OKC by 28, with the Thunder outscoring the Warriors 36-16 in the fourth quarter. However, Klay Thompson and Kevin Durant combined for 63 points in Friday’s 125-97 blowout of the Blazers that snapped a four-game losing streak in which they were 0-4 against the spread.
