Despite finishing with more victories than they did a year ago, which was then good enough to secure the sixth seed, the Golden State Warriors will have their backs against the wall as the No. 10 seed as they hit the road on Tuesday night to battle the Sacramento Kings in an effort to keep their playoff dreams alive.
Here's everything you need to know prior to these two teams squaring off.
Game Information
- Matchup Page: No. 10 Golden State Warriors vs. No. 9 Sacramento Kings
- Date: Tuesday, April 16, 2024
- Time: 10 p.m. ET
- Location: Golden 1 Center; Sacramento, CA
The #SoFiPlayIn matchups are set!
— NBA (@NBA) April 15, 2024
Tuesday on TNT:
7:30pm/et: #8 Lakers at #7 Pelicans
10:00pm/et: #10 Warriors at #9 Kings
Wednesday on ESPN:
7:00pm/et: #8 Heat at #7 Sixers
9:30pm/et: #10 Hawks at #9 Bulls pic.twitter.com/mARzNZhZJ9
Betting Odds
| Team | Spread | Money | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Golden State Warriors | -2.5 (-110) | -142 | O 225 (-110) |
| Sacramento Kings | +2.5 (-110) | +120 | U 225 (-110) |
Despite being the lower seed, the Warriors actually head into this matchup as the narrow favorites, perhaps stemming from them defeating the Kings in the first round of last year's postseason in a competitive seven-game series.
2023-24 Head-to-head History (2-2)
| Date | Location | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Jan. 25, 2024 | Golden State | 134-133 Kings |
| Nov. 28, 2023 | Sacramento | 124-123 Kings |
| Nov. 1, 2023 | Golden State | 102-101 Warriors |
| Oct. 27, 2023 | Sacramento | 122-114 Warriors |
Talk about cutting it close. Each of the last three games between Golden State and Sacramento were separated by exactly one point. There's no room for error when these teams clash based on recent performance.
Spread History
| Date | Spread (Warriors) | Spread (Kings) | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan. 25, 2024 | +1.5 | -1.5 | Warriors Cover (Underdogs) |
| Nov. 28, 2023 | +2 | -2 | Warriors Cover (Underdogs) |
| Nov. 1, 2023 | -7 | +7 | Kings Cover (Underdogs) |
| Oct. 27, 2023 | +3.5 | -3.5 | Warriors Cover (Underdogs) |
The Warriors entered as underdogs on 27 occasions in 2023-24 and only emerged victorious SU in nine of them. Two of those wins, however, did come at Sacramento's expense, with Golden State covering the spread all three instances.
OVER/UNDER History
| Date | Score | O/U Total | Final Total | O/U Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan. 25, 2024 | 134-133 | 244 | 267 | OVER |
| Nov. 28, 2023 | 124-123 | 238 | 247 | OVER |
| Nov. 1, 2023 | 102-101 | 227.5 | 203 | UNDER |
| Oct. 27, 2023 | 122-114 | 237 | 236 | UNDER |
Key Matchup: Draymond Green Vs. Domantas Sabonis
| Player | Games | PPG | FG% | REB | AST | STL | BLK |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Draymond Green | 3 | 8.7 | 38.9 | 4.0 | 7.7 | 1.7 | 1.7 |
| Domantas Sabonis | 4 | 17.3 | 51 | 11.3 | 9.5 | 1.0 | 0.3 |
Domantas Sabonis finished the season with 77 double-doubles, not only leading the league in that category, but also becoming just the seventh player in NBA history to reach that number and the first since Moses Malone in 1977-78.
Domantas Sabonis this season:
— Brenden Nunes (@BrendenNunesNBA) April 15, 2024
19.4 points -- 59.3 FG%
13.7 rebounds (1st in NBA)
8.2 assists (7th)
77 double-doubles (1st)
26 triple-doubles (1st)
He deserves to make All-NBA and get his $1.3M incentive. pic.twitter.com/Sn637YtH0v
One of the five games in which he didn't came on Nov. 28 against Golden State, although he was still only one point and two rebounds shy of a triple-double that day.
Draymond Green presents as the best defender to throw at Sabonis on the Warriors' behalf. When the veteran is locked in, there are very few who can match his intensity and physicality on that end, which compensates for box scores which never seem to jump off the page to the degree that Sabonis' do.
Final Pick: Golden State Warriors
There were only five times in which the Kings were underdogs in their own backyard, going 2-3 SU with two-straight losses on March 29 and April 12 against the Dallas Mavericks and Phoenix Suns, respectively.
Golden State was one of only six teams to finish with more wins on the road than it did at home, which bodes well for competing at the Golden 1 Center where Sacramento lost two of its last three appearances.
The bright lights and pressure of a win-or-go-home situation shouldn't faze a team with the Warriors' championship pedigree. Golden State took Game 7 in Sacramento a year ago by 20 points, so the psychological edge undoubtedly belongs to Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, and company this time around.
