Kings vs Warriors 2023 Playoffs Preview (Odds, Season Series and All-Time History)

The 2023 NBA Playoffs are here and there are several thrilling matchups to look forward to. One series fans have circled is the 3-seed Sacramento Kings taking on the 6-seed Golden State Warriors in the first round. De'Aaron Fox and Stephen Curry highlight two rosters stocked with exciting playmakers.

Here's everything you need to know before the Kings and Warriors compete this NBA postseason.

Kings vs Warriors All-Time Playoff History

The Kings and Warriors have never met head-to-head in the playoffs prior to the 2022-23 season.

Kings vs Warriors Season Series 2023

The Kings and Warriors squared off four times during the 2022-23 NBA campaign. Golden State came out on top in three of those four showdowns to earn the series win over Sacramento.

These squads first met on Oct. 23 at the Chase Center, and the home Warriors emerged with a 130-125 victory behind a standout performance from Stephen Curry (24 points, 7-of-12 from three-point range). Golden State also won the next meeting at home (Nov. 7) by a close final score of 116-113.

The Kings fought back with a home win of their own (122-115 final score) inside the Golden 1 Center on Nov. 13. That came before an almost four-month-long break in between games before the Warriors traveled to Sacramento on April 7. Golden State dominated in what ended up being a 119-97 victory.

Check out more NBA Playoffs content from The Duel:

Kings vs Warriors Odds and Prediction for 2023 Playoff Series

The Warriors are favorites to defeat the Kings in the first round, according to FanDuel Sportsbook's NBA odds. Golden State is listed at -260 to advance to the second round, while Sacramento is slated as the +215 underdog. A six-game series is seen as the most likely outcome here at +180 odds.

Championship experience is not something to be taken lightly once the playoffs arrive, and Golden State certainly has that in bulk. In fact, head coach Steve Kerr has led his team to a ridiculous 22-0 playoff series record against teams in the Western Conference. That is as dominant as it can get.

Injuries kept the Warriors from having a shot at the top seed, but they notably won eight of their final 10 games of the regular season. They are back to full health, which has to be scary for the Kings considering Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson are both shooting above 41.0% from three-point range.

Sacramento only ranks 26th in opponent three-point percentage (37.3%). The Kings certainly have the offense to go toe-to-toe with the Warriors in shootouts, but they don't have the defense to keep up in low-scoring showdowns. Head coach Mike Brown's squad ranks 25th in defensive efficiency.

This is new territory for the Kings franchise as well as many of its star players. Fox and Domantas Sabonis have combined for just 13 playoff games in their careers, so I can't trust them to live up to the bright lights quite yet, which makes backing a 4-2 series victory (+260) for Golden State a valuable option.

Larry Rupp is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Larry Rupp also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username phillyfan424. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his personal views, he may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his personal account. The views expressed in their articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel. 

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