It’s back to serious basketball in the NBA after the All-Star break, and it’s the turn of the Golden State Warriors and the Sacramento Kings to resume their regular-season schedule. Both teams will come into this game with significantly altered lineups compared to the last time they shared the court. Will the Warriors finally win a game against Sacramento? Or, will the Kings go 3-0 this season against Golden State?

Catch this game live on Saturday, February 22, 2025 at 11:00 AM, Manila time

Away: Golden State Warriors (28-27, 13-14 Away)

Projected Starting Five:

  • Stephen Curry
  • Brandin Podziemski
  • Moses Moody
  • Jimmy Butler III
  • Draymond Green

The Jimmy Butler era in San Francisco has been great so far for the Warriors. They are 3-1 straight up since Butler successfully Andy Dufresne-d his way out of South Beach. In their last game before the break, the Warriors outlasted the Houston Rockets in a 105-98 win on the road over the Houston Rockets. 

Butler is averaging 21.3 points on 44.6 percent shooting from the floor with Golden State but his biggest impact on the team could be his ability to get freebies. The Warriors are benefiting from Butler’s prolific free-throw production, as he is leading the team with 8.5 makes on 10.0 FT attempts per game. In the Houston game, the Warriors drained 24 free throws to just 10 by Houston. Perhaps Butler will be the answer to Golden State’s quandaries against the Kings, who have beaten the Warriors in both of these teams’ first meetings this season. 

Another good sign for the Warriors’ betting outlook is the fact that they are 4-0 against the spread in their last four visits to Sacramento.

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Home: Sacramento Kings (28-27, 14-13 Home)

Projected Starting Five:

  • Malik Monk
  • Zach LaVine
  • DeMar DeRozan
  • Keegan Murray
  • Domantas Sabonis

Like the Warriors, the Kings also made an attention-grabbing acquisition at the trade deadline, acquiring Zach LaVine from the Chicago Bulls while sending De’Aaron Fox to the San Antonio Spurs. The Kings are 3-2 SU in games played by LaVine, including their 140-133 overtime loss to the New Orleans Pelicans on the road on Feb. 13. While LaVine isn’t the passer that Fox is, he’s a bigger and more efficient scorer than the former Kings point guard. 

That being said, LaVine has yet to find his true rhythm with Sacramento, having shot just 43.1 percent from the field and 26.1 percent from deep so far with the Kings. But those numbers are bound to go up eventually, and that could start as soon as this Saturday versus the Warriors, who’ve allowed Sacramento to shoot 51.2 FG% and 41.1 3 FG% this season. Speaking of which, Domantas Sabonis has put up 24.0 points on an incredible 72.0 FG% against the Warriors in the past two meetings with them.

 The Kings are 5-5 ATS in their last 10 home games.

Picks

Spread: Sacramento Kings (+2.0)

Over/Under: Under (233.5)

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