Golden State Warriors at Sacramento Kings: Game 7 Betting Preview

Article ByKyle Garlett

April 29, 2023

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Posted in: US Sports Betting News, California Gambling News, US Gambling News

We have our first Game 7 of the NBA Playoffs, coming in one of the most anticipated matchups of the first round. It’s the Golden State Warriors, four times an NBA Champion since 2015, vs. the Sacramento Kings, trying to win their first playoff series since 2004.

The series started with two straight Sacramento wins. Then Golden State won three straight. And now, because of Friday night’s 118-99 blowout win by the Kings in San Francisco, we are back in the California capital for one final game to decide the winner.

A Last Dynastic Gasp for Golden State

The five straight trips to the NBA Finals by the Warriors from 2015 to 2019 is the second-longest such streak in NBA history, trailing only the eight straight by the Boston Celtics from 1957 to 1966. Not the Michael Jordan-led Bulls, the Magic Johnson or Kobe Bryant-led Lakers, or the LeBron James-led Cavaliers could match it.

Golden State’s surprise trip to the Finals in 2021, and its victory over the Boston Celtics, was a bonus win for the best NBA dynasty of the last 15 years. A deep run in these playoffs might be the last for the dynasty, and for the big-three of Klay Thompson, Draymond Green, and Stephen Curry. 

These three stars have been together for the entirety of the Warriors run, and they are all now 33-years-old or older. Curry is the senior of the group at 35.

The team has aged considerably from what it once was, and it’s been a liability on the road in 2022-23. In the regular season, the Warriors were just 11-30 away from home, and they are 1-2 on the road in this series. At the height of their powers, when they broke the 1995-96 Chicago Bulls’ record for best regular season record in NBA history, 34 of the Warriors’ 73 wins in 2015-16 came on the road.

Kings Keys to Victory

With their backs against the elimination wall on Friday, the Kings were able to get the road win because of their early play around the basket. They outscored Golden State in the paint in the first half, 30-16, and outshot them from the field, 40.7% to 27.8%.

That was the worst first half of shooting for the Warriors this season.

In order to beat the Warriors in Game 7, Sacramento has to continue to play tough defense and get contributions from unexpected sources. Malik Monk scored 28 points off the bench in Game 6 after averaging just 13.5 points per game in the regular season. Rookie Keegan Murray scored 15 points and grabbed 12 rebounds, his highest single-game rebound total since January.

Point guard De’Aaron Fox has been great all series, averaging 29.3 points per game and scoring at least 24 points in all six games. And if he can duplicate his 11 assists from Friday, the Kings will be very tough to beat.

All of that being said, BetOnline.ag has the Warriors as the favorites (-1) and the Kings as the slight underdogs. But in the six games of this postseason, Sacramento has the edge against the spread, 4-2.

The over/under for Game 7 is 229.5 total points, with three of the previous six games going over that total, including two of the three games played in Sacramento.

The winner of Sunday’s Game 7 will face the Los Angeles Lakers and LeBron James in the Western Conference Semifinals.