Kings set to take on Warriors in playoff matchup, earn primetime spot

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The Sacramento Kings clinched a playoff spot a while ago, but they had to wait until the final buzzer of the final games of the 2022-23 NBA season to know who they would face in the first round as the third seed in the Western Conference standings.

That answer came this afternoon when the Los Angeles Clippers beat the Phoenix Suns to secure the fifth spot in the West and push the Golden State Warriors to No. 6 where they’ll take on the Kings.

On Sunday afternoon, the NBA released the times and dates for the opener of each seven game series. The Kings and Warriors are set to face off for Game 1 on Saturday, April 15 at 5:30 pm on ABC. It’s a chance for the Kings to get a true primetime game on the opening weekend of the playoffs.

In a strange twist, this is the first time since the Kings moved to Sacramento before the start of the 1985-86 season that both the Kings and the Warriors have made the postseason in the same year. It will be a short commute for the two teams as they travel back and forth on the Interstate 80 corridor, or at least their fans do.

The ties between these two clubs runs deep. Mike Brown is in his first season as head coach of the Kings after spending the last six on Steve Kerr’s staff in Golden State. He has plenty of knowledge about the Warriors, but also a unique understanding about how difficult the task is ahead for his squad.

Winners of four of the last eight NBA Finals, the Warriors are the most seasoned playoff team in the NBA. Brown was part of three of those Championships, including last season when Golden State beat the Boston Celtics in six games.

This isn’t the same Warriors team that we’ve seen in the past, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t dangerous. They struggled on the road all season, finishing with a record of 11-30. They also don’t have the overall depth that we are accustomed to seeing.

Andrew Wiggins missed the final 25 games of the season due to a personal issue, but he rejoined the team last week and should be ready for the first round. Gary Payton II has played in seven straight games to close out the season after being re-acquired at the trade deadline in a swap with Portland.

These two are major pieces for the Warriors’ defense, but the series will likely come down to the same group that has led this dynasty for the last eight seasons in Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, Draymond Green and Kevon Looney.

Playoff experience is going to be a huge topic of discussion heading into this series. Golden State’s current roster holds an 817-185 game lead in overall playoff games played over the Kings’ roster. If we remove Matthew Dellavedova’s 52 career playoff games, who is out with a broken finger, the Kings have just 133 combined games of playoff experience. Curry (134), Thompson (145), Green (145) and Andre Iguodala (177) all have more playoff games individually than the Kings have without Delly.

A deeper look tells an even darker story. Harrison Barnes leads the Kings with 64 games of playoff experience, including a ring back in 2014-15 with the Warriors. But Barnes hasn’t played in the playoffs since 2015-16, a span of seven years.

Kevin Huerter and Kessler Edwards are the only two players on the Kings’ roster to play in the playoffs last season. Huerter saw action in five games for the Atlanta Hawks, averaging 9.2 points and 3.8 assists in 30.7 minutes, and Edwards played a total of seven minutes over two games for the Brooklyn Nets.

The Kings haven’t made the postseason in 16 seasons and their breakout season this year was unexpected. They are the best story in the NBA and it all hinges on their powerful offense that finished with the highest rating in NBA history.

Sacramento’s offense posted a rating of 118.6, compared to the Warriors’ 115.1. The Kings’ number came down over the last few games as they’ve gone away from their core to finish the year.

On the defensive end, both of these teams struggle. Sacramento posted a 116 defensive rating, which was tied for 23rd in the NBA. The Warriors countered with a 113.4 rating, which was 14th best in the league. The Kings held a 2.6-to-1.7 advantage in net rating.

In short, this very well could be a shootout with both teams relying heavily on their offense. The Warriors are first in the league in three point attempts and 3-point makes and finished second in 3-point percentage. They boast arguably the best two three-point shooters in the history of the game in Curry and Thompson, and Jordan Poole hit 214 3-pointers this season as well.

Sacramento finished fifth in the league in 3-point attempts, sixth in makes and ninth in percentage, but they also finished first in the league in two-point field goal percentage. The Kings can put points on the board as well as anyone in the league, even the star-studded Warriors.

After a successful 48-34 season, the Kings are ready to test their mettle against the best the NBA has to offer. They’ll take Monday off and then hit the practice court hard all week in preparation for the first playoff game in Golden 1 Center history.

It should be a raucous crowd as two Northern California teams clash in a battle decades in the making. Another round of tickets go on sale Monday at 12pm. Go to Kings.com for more information.