Game: Golden State Warriors @ Sacramento Kings
Time: 10:00 p.m.
Odds: Warriors -1.5, Kings +1.5
Total: 235
Game 5 of the first-round Western Conference playoff series that features the defending NBA champion Golden State Warriors and the upstart Sacramento Kings takes place tonight in the state capital. The Warriors have been one of the worst teams on the road this season and it has shown in this series. The home team has won all four games.
As expected, De’Aaron Fox and Domantas Sabonis led the charge as the Kings won the first two games of the series at home. The Warriors used their championship history to win Games 3 and 4 at home, so the pair had their hands full when the series moved to the Bay Area.
However, the news that Fox has an avulsion fracture in his left hand’s index finger, which occurred late in Game 4 on Sunday, has the Warriors feeling upbeat. Fox has averaged 31.5 points, 7.0 assists, and 6.0 rebounds throughout the series but was listed as questionable for tonight. In the latest injury report, Fox has been upgraded to probable.
Fox’s status could be bad news for the Warriors. Golden State had the worst road record of all the playoff and play-in tournament qualifiers, going 11-30 away from home during the regular season. However, the Warriors were better than any team in the Eastern Conference and the third-best team in the NBA at home with a record of 33-8.
The Warriors held on for the 126-125 victory despite a late push by the Kings in Game 4 to tie the series at 2-2. With 28.7 seconds left, Fox made a contested three-pointer to pull the Kings within a point. Golden State’s Stephen Curry missed a shot with 14.1 seconds left, but Harrison Barnes’ potential game-winning three-point attempt for the Kings was a little off target.
The Kings were led by Fox’s 38 points. Keegan Murray had 23, and Sabonis added 14 points along with a team-high eight assists. Curry led the Warriors with 32 points, followed by Klay Thompson with 26 and Jordan Poole added 22 in a startling performance.
After Draymond Green missed Game 3 due to a one-game suspension, the Warriors surprised the Kings in Game 4 by inserting him off the bench. Additionally, Green was tasked with guarding the more agile Fox in the second half of Game 4, who scored 17 points in the game’s final two quarters but was limited to 5-of-15 shooting from the field.
Golden State is now 10-4 SU in its last 14 games. The Warriors are 10-3 SU in their last 13 games against the Kings. The defending NBA champs are just 2-6 ATS in their last eight games against Sacramento and 3-7 ATS in their last 10 versus the Kings on the road.
The Kings have won just two of their last seven games. In three of those five losses, the Kings were held under 100 points. Sacramento was the top scoring team in the NBA this season averaging over 120 points per game.
Join Oskeim Sports today and save 20% on your first purchase at the online store!