The Stage Is Set: Kings to face Warriors in 1st round of NBA Playoffs
Apr 9, 2023, 2:58 PM | Updated: Apr 10, 2023, 9:27 am
(Photo by Lachlan Cunningham/Getty Images)
(Photo by Lachlan Cunningham/Getty Images)
A storybook season for the Sacramento Kings will continue next weekend when the Golden State Warriors arrive at Golden 1 Center for Game 1 of the NBA Playoffs on Saturday evening.
The third-seed Kings, who will make its first postseason appearance since the 2005-06 season, will face the defending champion sixth-seed Warriors in a matchup featuring the two highest-scoring teams in the Western Conference–one that also will be between two teams that play just 80 miles apart in Northern California.
For the first time in NBA history, the Kings and Warriors will face off in the postseason.
The Battle for NorCal begins in Round 1 on April 15 at 5:30PM PST on @ABCNetwork 👑
Presented by @dialpad pic.twitter.com/UIeWSowplI— P – Sacramento Kings (@SacramentoKings) April 9, 2023
Sacramento’s return to the playoffs won’t include a favorable first-round matchup, as a Golden State team that has won four championships over the past eight seasons will look to continue adding to its dynasty in the coming weeks.
While the Warriors have proven that they can be a nightmare for opposing defenses, they will come face-to-face with a Kings team that led the NBA in points per game and offensive rating thanks to incredible play from its All-Star duo of De’Aaron Fox and Domantas Sabonis.
Unlike recent years for Golden State, they will not hold home-court advantage during the first round. Instead, Sacramento (48-34) will host Game 1 and Game 2 at Golden 1 Center before action shifts to Chase Center in Games 3 and 4.
The Warriors will be tough to beat on its home floor, as they hold the second-best home record in the NBA (33-8). However, the Kings own the best road record in the West (second-best in the league) at 25-16, meaning that this team will be up for the challenge of winning games in a tough opposing environment.
Winning games at home will be an accurate–yet simple–goal for Sacramento, but picking up wins at Golden 1 Center hasn’t been easy this season. Although the Kings hold a 23-18 record at home, they have lost four of its past six games on their own floor.
If Sacramento wants to advance past the dangerous Warriors, they will need to take care of home court–especially against a Golden State team that holds an 11-30 record on the road.
The series will also be a meaningful one for Coach of the Year favorite Mike Brown, who will face his former team in the first round after spending the past six season as an assistant on Golden State head coach Steve Kerr’s staff.
Playoff Schedule
When will the Kings play its first playoff game? Here’s what the schedule will likely look like over the next two weeks:
If the Golden 1 Center app is correct, this is likely the 1st round schedule for Sacramento.
Game 1 | Sat. 4/15 – G1C
Game 2 | Tue. 4/18 – G1C
Game 3 | Thu. 4/20 – Away
Game 4 | Sat. 4/22 – Away
Game 5 | Mon. 4/24 – G1C
Game 6 | Wed. 4/26 – Away
Game 7 | Fri. 4/28 – G1C https://t.co/hMBXVnZdCd— Frankie Cartoscelli (@FCartoscelli3) April 9, 2023
Head-to-Head History
October 23rd | Chase Center | Warriors 130, Kings 125
November 7th | Chase Center | Warriors 116, Kings 113
November 13th | Golden 1 Center | Kings 122, Warriors 115
April 7th | Golden 1 Center | Warriors 119, Kings 97**
** De’Aaron Fox, Domantas Sabonis, Kevin Huerter, and Malik Monk did not play
- Sacramento has lost eight of its past ten games to Golden State since the start of the 2020-21 season.
- The Kings and Warriors have never met in the postseason
Sacramento and Golden State played three games this season that featured all of each team's core rotation players being active.
The point differential over those three games?
Warriors +1
Golden State 361
Sacramento 360— Frankie Cartoscelli (@FCartoscelli3) April 9, 2023
Upcoming Sacramento Kings Schedule
NBA Western Conference Playoffs – First Round
- Saturday, April 15th – Sacramento Kings vs. Golden State Warriors – 5:30 PM PST
Upcoming NBA Postseason Schedule
NBA Play-In Tournament takes place April 11-14th
- Tuesday, April 11th – Atlanta Hawks (8) vs. Miami Heat (7) – 4:30 PM PST
- Tuesday, April 11th – Minnesota Timberwolves (8) vs. Los Angeles Lakers (7) – 7:00 PM PST
- Wednesday, April 12th – Chicago Bulls (10) vs. Toronto Raptors (9) – 4:30 PM PST
- Wednesday, April 12th – Oklahoma City Thunder (10) vs. New Orleans Pelicans (9) – 6:30 PM PST
- Friday, April 14th – Matchups TBD
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