Kings vs Warriors Picks and Predictions: Golden State Gives Sacramento Royal Thrashing

The Sacramento Kings are struggling through some injuries, never a good thing when about to face the Golden State Warriors. Golden State may not be pouring the ball into the hoop like usual, but that hasn’t been a problem of late thanks to a dominant defense that is only improving.

Here are our free NBA betting picks and predictions for Kings at Warriors on February 3, with tip set for 10:00 p.m. ET.

Kings vs Warriors odds

This odds widget represents the best odds available for each betting market from regulated sportsbooks.

The Warriors opened as 13-point favorites late Wednesday night. Since then, this spread bounced between -12.5 and -13.0 overnight and then between -13.0 and -13.5 throughout Thursday morning.

The total saw much more movement, opening at 221.0 late Wednesday and jumping up to 224.5 by mid-morning.

Use the live odds widget above to track any future line movements right until tip-off and be sure to check out the full NBA odds before betting to ensure you get the best number.

Kings vs Warriors predictions

• Prediction: Warriors -13.5 (-110)
• Prediction: Under 225 (-110)
• Best bet: Curry Under 24.5 points (-109)

Predictions made on 2/3/2022 at 2:00 p.m. ET.
Click on each prediction to jump to the full analysis.

Kings vs Warriors game info

• Location: Chase Center, San Francisco, CA
• Date: Thursday, February 3, 2022
• Tip-off: 10:00 p.m. ET
• TV: NBCSBA, NBCSCA

Kings vs Warriors betting preview

Injuries

Kings: Marvin Bagley III PF (Questionable), De’Aaron Fox PG (Out), Terence Davis SG (Out).
Warriors: Steph Curry PG (Probable), Andrew Wiggins SF (Probable), Gary Payton II (Questionable), Otto Porter Jr. SF (Questionable), Nemanja Bjelica PF (Out), Draymond Green PF (Out), James Wiseman C (Out).
Find our latest NBA injury reports.

Betting trend to know

The Warriors are 4-1-1 against the spread in their last six games. The Under is 5-0 in Sacramento’s last five games. Find more NBA betting trends for Kings vs. Warriors.

Kings vs Warriors picks and predictions

Our predictions are compiled from the analysis of the spread and total and are indications of where we are leaning for this game.
Our best bet is the play that we like the most for this game, which we would actually put some of our bankroll behind.

Spread analysis

Some teams can push onward without their best player. To an extent, the Kings have become one of those teams, thanks to Tyrese Haliburton’s stellar play in the absence of De’Aaron Fox, and also thanks to their status quo of play being rather low to start with. When a team wins only about a third of its games, continuing to lose more often than not is seen as more of the same, not as a falloff.

Every so often Sacramento has found a win, like last night against the Nets but that ended a seven-game losing streak, which is more reflective of the norm for the Kings.

Fox will miss his seventh straight game tonight while Golden State should have both Splash Brothers as well as All-Star starter Andrew Wiggins in the starting lineup. This could become an embarrassing rout, though that isn't a rarity for the Kings. They fell by 53 points just last week at Boston, by 25 in early January at Portland, by 25 against Memphis in late December, and by 25 and 27 on back-to-back nights at Memphis and against the Lakers in November.

The lack of starter-caliber players on the Kings leaves them exposed to such debacles. Maurice Harkless and Richaun Holmes are rotation-worthy players in 2022, but not starters, yet they played 34 and 21 minutes, respectively, in beating the Nets last night.

Consider that win the exception that proves the rule with Sacramento, a team to fade, particularly since it has covered the spread in only three of its last eight games.

Meanwhile, Golden State has covered in four of its last five games as it is starting to find a rhythm with Klay Thompson back in the lineup.

Prediction: Warriors -13.5 (-110)

Over/Under analysis

As Golden State has found that rhythm, it has not faltered on defense. Since Thompson’s return on Jan. 9, the Warriors have the No. 2 defensive rating in the league, per statmuse.com. Holding opponents to 45.4% shooting and forcing 14.1 turnovers per game have fit with their season-long numbers of 46.5 percent and 15.6 turnovers per game.

Draymond Green has not even been a part of this continued defensive dominance, having played all of a few seconds alongside Thompson. The likes of Wiggins and Gary Payton II have proven they can uphold the Golden State standard. And it has shown on the scoreboard, holding six of their last nine opponents to no more than 106 points.

Now facing one of the worst offenses in the league — the Kings have the No. 22 offensive rating this season — without its best player, the Warriors defense should set the tone tonight.

Prediction: Under 225 (-110)

Best bet

A spread like this in a game that should be a blowout could lend itself to a backdoor cover. At the very least, that worry pushes us away from backing the Warriors -13.5 with our best bet.

Instead, let’s focus on that blowout aspect, and how it could impact Steph Curry.

Curry’s “slump,” as much of one as he is capable of having, began on Jan. 3 with nine points in 32 minutes in a win against the Heat. Since then, he has had nine games in which he's scored less than 24.5 points, tonight’s total, including eight of fewer than 20 points and four of fewer than 15 points. Curry broke 24.5 in only five games, including two of the last three.

During this 14-game stretch, Curry has played in seven games decided by 10 or more points. In those, he broke 20 points only twice. In the other five, he averaged 16.2 points in 30.2 minutes per game.

The Warriors can blow teams out without an explosion from Curry, and when they do, he often finds the bench early. That possibility, amid these relative shooting struggles, makes the thought of doubting Curry’s bucket-getting tonight a tolerable one.

Pick: Steph Curry Under 24.5 points (-109)

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