Sacramento Kings at Golden State Warriors
Time: 9:30 PM CST
Spread: GSW -16
Total: 218
Betting odds c/o Bovada
Stephen Curry is quickly marking his stamp as the best shooter in NBA history, and it isn’t entirely percentage based, but mostly due to his prolific and frequent offensive engagements. The Warriors lead the NBA in assists per game and Curry is good for eight of those dimes.
The well-rounded balance of the Warriors allows for niche talent around Curry. Tonight, the Warriors will host the lowly Sacramento Kings (though improved) and are 16-point favorites in what promises to be a high scoring, but lopsided affair.
The total of 218 reflects the high scoring nature of both teams, but the Kings can’t keep pace with the Warriors torrid pace, at least not on the scoreboard, where it matters.
Klay Thompson is more than a niche talent next to Curry. Kay’s value greatly exceeds his contract, because he is a max-contract player. Thompson’s defensive skills go largely unnoticed due to his three-point prowess, but Thompson can lock up an opposing 2-guard without a problem.
The third-year guard is also hitting 44.6 percent from distance and averaging 1.322 points per possession, second only to Curry (excluding James Michael McAdoo’s very limited minutes).
McAdoo is paired with another former UNC player Harrison Barnes. Barnes, while promising, has failed to take steps forward as an NBA player. He’s basically been at this same level since his rookie season, which may have the Warriors kicking themselves for not taking any of the outstanding deals that were offered before he was taken off the table, at last year’s trade deadline.
Draymond Green has come through as one of the best second round picks in recent years, able to play both forward spots and defend equally well at the 3 or 4. He’s been a very pleasant surprise and has been instrumental in the team thriving without David Lee.
The Warriors often use Green to play small ball, because he offers shooting, some speed and footwork, and it just works better than continually playing Andrew Bogut. Bogut is good for his 24 minutes a game, but his rest periods enable the high scoring Marreese Speights. He’s averaging 12.6 points per game in just 18 minutes (25.2 points per-36).
That kind of production renders Speights a short minute wonder, and the Warriors have so much talent that the bench truly goes 12 deep if Steve Kerr wants to do it. Shaun Livingston essentially rounds out the bottom of a 10-man rotation.
It will, of course, be shortened when the Warriors hit the postseason, but having it now affords a San Antonio-like advantage because Curry and Thompson don’t have to play 38 to 40 minutes a game for the Warriors to get the wins. Good teams don’t have to overextend its starters to compete.
The Kings have improved largely due to the fact the talent was already there to begin with. Sure, DeMarcus Cousins has made a huge leap in emotional maturity, but it hasn’t been all Cousins. Nor is 16-26 enough for people to start rushing out to by Kings gear around the country. But improvement must be taken as it comes, and right now the starting point for that is Cousins being a cornerstone talent. He’s averaging 24 points and nearly 13 boards per game this season.
Combining Cousins with a thriving Darren Collison has put the Kings in a nice position for sculpting this squad. Cousins and Collison lead the Kings in all major statistical categories and also make a nice defensive tandem when Collison chooses to filter the guards into Cousins for blocks and changed shots. There’s a good reason to expect further improvement from the Kings, but the expectations have to remain tempered with a small market team that has been bad for over a decade.
