The Kings sliced and diced their way through doubters all season to lock up the Western Conference No. 3 playoff seed in the season’s final week.
But as the NBA playoffs begin Saturday, Sacramento finds itself as an underdog yet again.
PointsBet gave the Kings +230 odds to win their first-round playoff series against the Golden State Warriors, meaning a $100 bet would win $230. The Warriors, meanwhile, were given -300 odds to advance to the Western Conference semifinals, which means a $100 bet would win $33.33.
From a bigger picture perspective, Golden State has +400 odds to represent the West in the 2023 NBA Finals, which ranks third among the 10 playoff and play-in teams in the conference. The Kings, meanwhile, were given +2500 odds to win the conference, which ranks seventh overall and dead last among teams with a top-six playoff spot.
Even the Los Angeles Lakers, who went 43-39 and have to survive the play-in tournament for the right to participate in a best-of-seven playoff series, have better odds (+800) than the Kings to win the West.
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Per the Action Network’s Evan Abrams, no No. 3 seed has been this big of an underdog in a first-round playoff series since 1990.
Sure, the oddsmakers aren’t favoring the Kings in their series against the defending champion Warriors. But entering the regular season, few expected the up-and-coming Kings to send two players to the All-Star Game, set records with their historic offense and finish third in the West.
Who’s to say this team couldn't beat the odds yet again?
Golden State Warriors
Editor's note: All odds are provided by our partner, PointsBet. PointsBet is our Official Sports Betting Partner and we may receive compensation if you place a bet on PointsBet for the first time after clicking our links.