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2023 Western Conference First-Round Preview: Sacramento Kings vs. Golden State Warriors

Western Conference Round 1

(Photo Credit: John Hefti/USA Today Sports)

NBA Playoffs Round 1
(John Hefti/USA Today Sports)

2023 Western Conference First-Round Preview: Sacramento Kings vs. Golden State Warriors

The first round of the NBA playoffs officially tips off this weekend! The Sacramento Kings will host the defending champion Golden State Warriors on Saturday at 8:30 p.m. ET on ABC.

The Kings have risen from the doormat of NBA franchises to clinch their first playoff berth since 2006. Their 48-34 regular season record is a monumental accomplishment for both the franchise, and its long suffering die hard fans. Emerging stars such as De’Aaron Fox and Domantas Sabonis have brought life to the Kings and the city of Sacramento. Unfortunately for the Kings, their first round matchup is against their Northern California neighbors who they went 1-3 against in the regular season.

Steph Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green are entering their ninth NBA playoff first round series as teammates. The Dubs won the Finals in four out of those nine seasons, and most recently did so last season. As a team this season, the Warriors were two-faced, depending on if they were playing on the road or at home. They posted an impressive 33-8 record in the Chase Center, but also had a record of 11-30 when playing outside the Bay Area.

Luckily for Golden State, they will likely not even need to fly to travel for this series. The Warriors quest to win back-to-back championships is made slightly easier by their first round opponents in this year’s NBA playoffs: an unexperienced Kings squad.

GAMEDATEMATCHUPTIME (ET)TV
Game 1Saturday, April 15Golden State @ Sacramento8:30 p.m.ABC
Game 2Monday, April 17Golden State @ Sacramento10:00 p.m.TNT
Game 3Thursday, April 20Sacramento @ Golden State10:00 p.m.TNT
Game 4Sunday, April 23Sacramento @ Golden State3:30 p.m.ABC/R
Game 5*Wednesday, April 26Golden State @ SacramentoTBDTBD
Game 6*Friday, April 28Sacramento @ Golden StateTBDTBD
Game 7*Sunday, April 30Golden State @ SacramentoTBDTBD
* Games 5-7 if necessary

Sacramento Kings

Starting Roster:

  • G: De’Aaron Fox
  • G: Kevin Huerter
  • SF: Harrison Barnes
  • PF: Keegan Murray
  • C: Domantas Sabonis

Notable Bench Players:

  • Malik Monk
  • Davion Mitchell

The Sacramento Kings roster consists of raw talent and veteran knowledge. Complimented by great coaching from former Warriors associate head coach Mike Brown, Sacramento led the NBA in scoring this season with 9,803 points.

Their offensive revival has been spearheaded by De’Aaron Fox and Domantas Sabonis. The former fifth overall pick in the 2017 NBA Draft, Fox has spent his entire career in Sacramento, quietly averaging 20.2 PPG across six NBA seasons. A trade last offseason with the Pacers for Sabonis gave Fox a caliber of teammate he had never had before. It resulted in the best season of Fox’s career, as he posted averages of 25 points, 6.1 assists and 4.2 rebounds per game. Sabonis also posted some of his best career stats this season. Tallying 19.1 PPG, 7.3 assists, and 12.3 rebounds per game. Fox and Sabonis are the Kings’ best chance to win their first round series of the NBA playoffs.

Golden State Warriors

Starting Roster:

  • G: Steph Curry
  • G: Klay Thompson
  • SF: Andrew Wiggins
  • PF: Draymond Green
  • C: Kevon Looney

Notable Bench Players:

  • Jordan Poole
  • Gary Payton Jr.
  • Jonathan Kuminga

Golden State’s credentials are known and obvious at this point to NBA fans. As the Western Conference’s sixth seed, the Warriors are legitimate contenders for one simple reason: Steph, Klay and Draymond are all currently healthy. All three players missed at least a portion of the teams regular season games due to injury. Andrew Wiggins also missed time this season but has rejoined the team going into the first round of the NBA playoffs.

The Warriors hold the advantage of experience and will not be as nervous as the Kings potentially will be. Golden State also won three out of four regular season meetings between the two teams this season. Psychologically, the Warriors should hold the edge over Sacramento. Whether or not if it plays a major factor in the first round of the NBA playoffs remains to be seen.

Questions

1.) Will the Warriors Playoff Experience Overwhelm the Kings

Steve Kerr’s Warriors had five straight NBA Finals appearances from 2015-19. They won three out of five, cementing a dynasty in the Bay Area. The loss of Kevin Durant and two-and-a-half-year absence of an injured Klay Thompson left the Warriors counted out amongst most critics. Bolstered by young talent like Jordan Poole, Andrew Wiggins and Gary Payton Jr., the Warriors went on a full blown revenge tour in last year’s playoffs, defeating the Boston Celtics in six games to win the NBA Finals. Now fully healthy, the Warriors experience alone may enough to beat the Kings in the first round of this years NBA playoffs. The Kings will have to mature very quickly if they want to avoid falling behind early in the series.

2.) How can Mike Brown’s Knowledge of the Warriors Affect the Series?

A large reason for the rapid turnaround of the Sacramento Kings has been the hiring of Mike Brown. In his first year in Sacramento, Brown transformed a team that went 30-52 in 2022, to dark horse contenders in this years playoffs. His impact won him the 2023 NBA Coach of the Year award. Mike Brown was the associate head coach of the Warriors from 2016-22. This makes Brown the most knowledgeable coach in the league on how to attack and defend the Warriors. The Kings ability to have success against a more experienced team will begin with the game plan from their head coach. Although playing a fully healthy Warriors team is never easy, if Brown can maximize his knowledge from his time with Golden State, the Kings have a chance.

3.) Draymond Green v. Domantas Sabonis – Who Wins this Matchup?

As his career has progressed, Green has earned the reputation of being a one-on-one lockdown defender. Often having major success against the leagues most dominant centers. Doing so at just 6-foot-6. Sabonis has established himself as a top-five offensive center and efficient rebounder at seven foot one. Similarly to his NBA peers, Sabonis has struggled against Green in the past.

If Green can effectively contain Sabonis’ impact to a minimum, it will hurt a big part of the Kings offensive attack. On the flip side, Sabonis having offensive success has made the Kings a more efficient team all season. The winner of the matchup between Green and Sabonis will directly affect which team wins this series.

Prediction: Warriors in 6.

While en route to their sixth NBA Finals appearance in eight seasons and fourth championship, the Warriors proved experience is a major factor. I truly believe that the Sacramento Kings have the pieces in place to contend for a championship, just maybe not this year. Reaching the franchise’s first playoff berth since 2006 as the No. 3-seed is nothing to be ashamed of. What is a shame is that they were matched up in the first round with the team with the most playoff experience in the NBA. The Warriors are not unbeatable, but I believe the Kings are maybe a year and a few offseason additions away from being contenders. Warriors in 6.

***

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