The Western Conference Play-In game is set between the No. 9 Kings and No. 10 Warriors.
These two teams are likely having déjà vu, ready to face off in another win-or-go-home game at the Golden 1 Center in Sacramento.
The Kings and Warriors went head-to-head in the first round of last year’s NBA Playoffs, where Stephen Curry’s Game 7-record 50 points led Golden State to an upset win over Sacramento. This time around, not only will the loser’s season be over, but the winner will have to play another game just to get into the playoffs.
The victor will advance to take on the loser of the No. 7 Pelicans vs. No. 8 Lakers for the chance to claim the No. 8 seed. The No. 1 seeded Thunder will be awaiting the winner of that contest in the first round of the playoffs.
For more information on the Warriors-Kings Play-In game, The Sporting News has you covered below.
MORE: Lakers vs. Pelicans Play-In preview: Who will secure the No. 7 seed?
Warriors vs. Kings prediction
Prediction: Warriors win
Just as we saw in Game 7 a year ago, the Warriors simply have more experience playing in must-win games like this. Even on the road, Golden State was unphased competing in a rocking Golden 1 Center in front of a crowd that hasn’t seen a playoff series win since 2004.
Enough about the past, though. The Warriors are playing better basketball to close the 2023-24 season, winning 10 of their last 12 games. The same cannot be said for the Kings, who lost seven of their last 11 games with a chance to claim a top-six seed and avoid the Play-In Tournament altogether.
Warriors vs. Kings betting odds
The Warriors opened as 1.5-point favorites over the Kings, according to BetMGM.
| Spread | Total | Moneyline | |
| Warriors | -1.5 (-110) | o226.5 (-105) | -120 |
| Kings | +1.5 (-110) | u226.5 (-115) | +100 |
MORE: TSN’s Steph Noh shares his expert All-NBA picks
Warriors vs. Kings 2023-24 regular season series
The Warriors and Kings split their season series, winning two games apiece. Their last three matchups were decided by one point each.
- Oct. 27, 2023: Warriors 122, Kings 114
- Nov. 1, 2023: Warriors 102, Kings 101
- Nov. 28, 2023: Kings 124, Warriors 123 (In-Season Tournament game)
- Jan. 25, 2024: Kings 134, Warriors 133
Curry’s 41 points propelled Golden State over Sacramento in the second game of the NBA season, but every meeting was tightly contested after that. A few days later, the Warriors defeated the Kings by one point on a game-winning jumper from Klay Thompson.
At the end of November, the Kings got revenge in an In-Season Tournament matchup with a one-point win on a prayer of a Malik Monk game-winner. Their final regular season meeting was more of the same, as a baseline out-of-bounds play resulted in a Domantas Sabonis game-winning dunk with 22 seconds remaining.
If these four matchups are any indication of how the Play-In game will go, NBA fans are in for a good one.
Warriors vs. Kings key storyline: Who will defend Stephen Curry?
At this point, it is no surprise to anyone that when Curry gets in a rhythm, he is impossible to stop. The Kings learned the hard way in Game 7 of last year’s playoffs, letting Curry explode for 50 points on 20-for-38 shooting from the field to end their season.
Head coach Mike Brown has gone back to the drawing board when it comes to defending Curry this season. In their first meeting, the guard trio of Chris Duarte, Kevin Huerter and Davion Mitchell drew the tough assignment, and Curry still went off for 41 points. Chalk it up as another lesson learned, because Sacramento’s defensive strategy has changed since then.
Brown has called on a bigger defender to try and disrupt Curry. 6-8 forward Keegan Murray took on the primary challenge in two of the Kings’ final three regular-season matchups with the Warriors.
Across those two games, Murray guarded Curry on 68.6 partial possessions, per NBA stats. Curry still had plenty of success, though, going for a combined 31 points while shooting 57.9 percent from the field and 66.7 percent from 3.
It will be interesting to see how Sacramento tries to throw off the greatest shooter of all time. Will Brown continue to lean on Murray? Will 6-6 guard Keon Ellis, who has earned every-night rotation minutes, get a shot at Curry? Will Fox step up to the challenge on both sides of the ball?
Containing Curry will be the difference between the Kings going home early or keeping their playoff hopes alive.
Warriors vs. Kings date, start time, TV channel, live stream
- Date: Tuesday, April 16
- Time: 10 p.m. ET | 7 p.m. PT
- TV channel: TNT
- Live stream: Sling
Warriors vs. Kings will air on TNT. Viewers in the U.S. can also stream the Play-In Tournament game on Sling TV.
Sling is the home for the avid sports fan, offering a range of sports channels so you can always cheer for your favorite teams with channels like ESPN, TBS, TNT, NFL Network, FS1 and more.
