Sacramento Kings (33-31) vs. Golden State Warriors (37-28)
The 2024-25 NBA season continues Thursday, March 13, with the Sacramento Kings taking on the Golden State Warriors in the Pacific Division showdown at Chase Center in San Francisco, CA, so here’s our Kings vs. Warriors prediction.
Sacramento and Golden State close down their four-game regular-season series. The Kings beat the Warriors twice in January, 129-99 and 123-117, and Golden State responded with a 132-108 win in February. Read more about this Sacramento vs. Golden State prediction, one of our NBA picks for Thursday night.
The Kings hope to avoid the third straight loss
The Sacramento Kings have dropped three of their last four games overall. After a 116-110 defeat at the Denver Nuggets and a 127-109 victory to the San Antonio Spurs, the Kings strung losses against the LA Clippers 111-110 in overtime on the road and the New York Knicks 133-104 at home.
Last Monday, the Kings were humiliated by the Knicks, who went 22-for-40 from downtown. Sacramento shot just 41.9% from the field (10-for-34 from deep) while posting an ugly 18/18 assist-to-turnover ratio. Malik Monk led the way for the Kings with 21 points.
Sacramento holds the No. 9 seed in the Western Conference. The Kings couldn’t count on Domantas Sabonis (hamstring) over the last five games. Sabonis (19.5 PPG, 14.1 RPG) is doubtful for Thursday’s clash against the Warriors, while Monk (17.7 PPG, 5.8 APG) is listed as questionable.
The Warriors ride a five-game winning streak
The Golden State Warriors have only lost one of their previous 11 games overall. Last Monday, the red-hot Warriors extended their winning streak to five games, outlasting the Portland Trail Blazers 130-120 as 11.5-point home favorites.
The Warriors dominated the Blazers all night but eventually failed to beat the number. Golden State made 52.9% of its field goals (21-for-41 from downtown) while notching a 35/18 assist-to-turnover ratio. Gary Payton II led the Warriors with 26 points, and Stephen Curry had 24 points and three assists.
Golden State is sixth in the West, just half a game ahead of the Minnesota Timberwolves. Jonathan Kuminga (16.8 PPG, 5.0 RPG) and Brandin Podziemski (10.1 PPG, 4.9 RPG) both missed the Trail Blazers game and are questionable for Thursday’s game versus the Kings.
Best Bets for Sacramento Kings vs. Golden State Warriors
Full-Game Side Bet
Insiders Status:
The Warriors have been unstoppable since the Jimmy Butler trade. They trounced the Kings 132-108 in Sacramento on February 22, and Butler had 17 points and seven assists. The Kings committed 24 turnovers and made 11 of their 32 shots from deep, while the Warriors went 10-for-43 from deep and posted a 40/12 assist-to-turnover ratio.
Domantas Sabonis will probably miss his sixth straight contest. Without Sabonis, the Kings will have a tall task to upset the odds at Chase Center. The Warriors have been playing at a high level lately, so I’m backing them to beat the King and cover the spread.
Full-Game Total Pick
Insiders Status:
The Kings are not a great defensive team by any means. They just allowed 133 points to the Knicks, who missed Jalen Brunson. The Kings will struggle to contain the Warriors, so I expect to see a high-scoring affair.
The Warriors lean on 3-point shooting. They are he NBA in 3-point rate (.463) and 13th in 3-point percentage (36.1%). The Kings have struggled to defend the 3third in t-point line so far this season. They are dead last in the league in opposing 3-point percentage (37.7%) and 28th in triples allowed per 100 possessions (14.4).
The Kings are 18th in the league in pace (98.8 possessions per 48 minutes), and the Warriors rank 14th in this category (99.2).
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