Golden State Warriors vs Sacramento Kings: Two short-handed teams(Unsurprisingly)

As the title suggests, the two teams who will feature in this game are short-handed and well, that is becoming a common theme in this league after COVID-19 has once again arrested the flow. Writing articles, evaluating team situations, and formulating odds become a heavy task in such a demanding environment. Anyway, in this game, the Golden State Warriors host the Sacramento Kings in a classic Western Conference tussle. Warriors have lost only six out of 30 games while Kings are way behind with 18 losses and just 13 wins. Can the Kings pull one off here or will Curry(if active) prove too much for the team? To know about the “Prediction” in terms of Total and Game Result, jump to “Expert Betting Tips”. For a quick look, hop over to “Notes”.

Battle of guards?

Warriors current roster: If Jordan Poole and Andrew Wiggins are unable to clear the protocols, Warriors lose a combined 30-40 points. The team will have to delve deep into rotations and perhaps Juan Toscano-Anderson, Damion Lee, and Gary Payton will have to fill in. Still, if Curry is good to go, you know he is a jackpot player and this can be one of those games against a so-so defense where he erupts for 35+ points. The team still has Green(hopefully) who will keep the ball moving while Damion Lee can act as a substantial perimeter shooter as well. Jonathan Kuminga had 26 in the last game and he may receive 20 minutes or so. Kevon Looney will continue to be one of the anchors defensively and we can see some quality minutes from Nemanja Bjelica. Of course, all of this assumes that most of the players will be good to go!

Kings current roster: In the last game, Buddy Hield and Tyrese Haliburton scored 29 and 27 respectively as the Kings beat a high-scoring Spurs team. If Harrison Barnes is active like the last game, he can chip in with 15-20, Damion Jones had 23 in the last game but I wonder if Warriors defense is that leaky. Tristan Thompson matches up at Center with the athletic Kevon Looney and Chimezie Metu is a handy player for the team along with Maurice Harkless. Still, a lot will depend upon how Haliburton and Hield play in this game and to be honest, Warriors defense can find it tough to stop them. The Kings can still field a substantial attack with three high-quality offensive options and a decent-looking bench combination(Although I am a bit skeptical about both team’s benches).

Notes

Here are some quick-hitter related to the game.

• Warriors have scored 100(without four starters), 111, 105, 102, 93 in the last five games;
• Warriors have allowed 119(without four starters), 107, 96, 100, 102 in the last five games;
• Kings have scored 121, 105, 119, 101, 103 in the last five games;
• Kings have allowed 114, 124, 105, 124, 117 in the last five games;
• Warriors have won five out of the last six games with Curry and Green in the lineup. Both players have missed just two games throughout the season;
• Kings have lost one and won one game without Fox, Bagley, Mitchell;
• Tyrese Haliburton has scored 21 or more in the last two games. He has also dished 9-11 assists in each of the last three games;
• Stephen Curry has scored in the 24-35 points range throughout the season;
• Draymond Green has grabbed 7-9 rebounds and dished 5-9 assists regularly a game this season;
• Buddy Hield’s scoring range can be from 20-29 points here;
• Jordan Poole and Andrew Wiggins have been placed in the COVID-19 protocols. Both of them are averaging over 17 a game. Let us see if one of them returns a negative test before the game;
• De’Aaron Fox, Marvin Bagley, Davion Mitchell, Alex Len have been placed in COVID-19 protocols. Let us see if anyone returns a negative test soon;
• You must check the injury or absent list before placing bets. It has become even more important these days.

Expert Betting tips

Points Range: Even with the current roster and against a poor defensive team in the Kings, Warriors can line up 110 points or more assuming Curry, Green, and some other rotation players are healthy. But there is a catch, apart from Curry, you can’t see anyone else scoring 20 or so on a regular basis so again, he will not have Wiggins or Poole to share the workload, who will step up then? Kuminga, Moody, Lee, Green, Juan? The Kings have three scorers who can potentially lodge 20 points or more, however, the Warriors can play disciplined defense. I think with Wiggins out, the wing can be a little more wide open for Barnes and he can have a 20+ points game here. The Kings can also put up points but let us see what version of Warriors’ defense we witness in this one. The Overall Points Range I feel is 214-229 points.

Prediction: In terms of match-ups, with Poole and Wiggins out, the Warriors can lose a bit of their usual edge because the Kings seem to have more shot creators right now and more options. Still, with Curry in the mix and against a weak defensive unit, the Warriors can ride on his hot hand. I think someone like Damion Lee/Gary Payton/Jonathan Kuminga/Moses Moody/Chris Chiozza/Nemanja Bjelica will have to step up the game here and try to aim for 20 points or so because Warriors lack shot creators right now. I still feel the Warriors will win this one and if Curry is healthy they can notch one 121:107 against this Kings team.

Betting Options

• Total Points: Over 224.5 for 1.90;
• Total 2 Over 105.5 for 1.97;
• Spread: GS Warriors -13.5 for 1.90.