Sacramento Kings vs Golden State Warriors Prediction & Match Preview - December 20th, 2021 | NBA Season 2021-22

The Sacramento Kings' abysmal defense will have to be drastically better against Steph Curry and the Golden State Warriors. [Photo: NBA.com]

The virus-hit Sacramento Kings will travel to the Bay Area for a matchup against the Golden State Warriors on Monday. Sacramento currently has six players under the NBA’s health and safety protocols, which is hardly the best situation to face the Warriors.

The Sacramento Kings are 2-4 in their last six games and will face a daunting task against Steph Curry and the Golden State Warriors. Among the Kings to be sidelined heading into the game are De’Aaron Fox, Davion Mitchell and Marvin Bagley. The Kings will ask for more from Tyrese Haliburton and Buddy Hield to keep them afloat while the team deals with the virus outbreak.

🏀 FINAL SCORE THREAD 🏀

Tyrese Haliburton (27 PTS, 4 REB, 11 AST) leads the way as three @SacramentoKings players score 20+ PTS in the win 👑

Buddy Hield: 29 PTS, 7 3PM
Damian Jones: 23 PTS, 8 REB
Dejounte Murray: 25 PTS, 7 REB, 9 AST https://t.co/YQ2p0S9Dtq

The Golden State Warriors chose to exercise caution by holding out Steph Curry, Draymond Green and others from going to Canada to face the Toronto Raptors. They could possibly be quarantined in the North if they test positive for the virus.

Without their regular players, the Golden State Warriors leaned on youngsters Jonathan Kuminga and Damion Lee. Both played with flashes of potential, but could not overcome the disadvantage in manpower and execution.

Head coach Steve Kerr will field in a more complete lineup in the matchup against the Sacramento Kings.

Match Detail

Fixture: Sacramento Kings vs Golden State Warriors | 2021-22 NBA season

Date & Time: Monday, December 20th; 10:00 PM ET (Tuesday, December 21st; 8:30 AM IST)

Venue: Chase Center, San Francisco, CA

Sacramento Kings Preview

The Sacramento Kings are the latest to have the virus outbreak. [Photo: Hoops Habit]

The Covid outbreak is dominating the Sacramento Kings’ team news before the matchup against the Golden State Warriors. Sacramento has already canceled practice and shut down its facility to avoid the spread of the virus. The move was a little too late as De’Aaron Fox was the latest to be entered into the health and safety protocols list.

The Sacramento Kings beat the San Antonio Spurs in their last game behind the impressive three-point shooting of Buddy Hield, who drained seven from downtown. He scored 18 of his 29 points in the fourth quarter to quell any attempt by the Spurs to get back into the game.

Tyrese Haliburton probably played his best game of the season without Fox. He had 27 points and added a career-best 11 assists in the win. The Sacramento Kings will rely on the duo to give them a chance of an upset against the Golden State Warriors.

Key Player - Tyrese Haliburton

Tyrese Haliburton is one of five Sacramento Kings players who score at least 10 points a game. The 21-year old shooting guard is also dishing out a team-best and career-high 5.9 assists per contest. Although it’s De’Aaron Fox that’s the point guard, an argument could be made that Haliburton is the Kings’ best pure passer.

In the two games that Fox has been sidelined this season, the sophomore guard has been spectacular. He is averaging 24 points, 10.5 assists and 5 rebounds. Haliburton is also a much better defender than the Sacramento Kings’ franchise player.

Tyrese Haliburton tonight 💥

27 PTS
12-19 FG
11 AST
4 REB
3 STL https://t.co/P9RNrdQmzn

Haliburton’s ability to run the offense will be severely tested against the Golden State Warriors’ unforgiving defense.

Sacramento Kings Predicted Lineup

G - Tyrese Haliburton | G - Buddy Hield | F - Harrison Barnes | F - Chimezie Metu | C - Tristan Thompson

Golden State Warriors Preview

Steph Curry and Draymond Green will return for the game against the Sacramento Kings. [Photo: Blue Man Hoop]

The Golden State Warriors will also miss two key players, with Jordan Poole and Andrew Wiggins testing positive for the virus. Both are starters who have made a considerable impact on the Warriors’ second-best record in the NBA. Fortunately for them, they are facing a team that has more virus woes.

Despite playing without Poole and Wiggins, they are still heavy favorites to win the game mainly because of Steph Curry and the Draymond Green-led defense. The Golden State Warriors rank first in the NBA in defensive rating by a good margin. It’s their defense that makes them so dangerous as they can stay close to opponents until Curry gets his rhythm going.

Damion Lee, Juan Toscano-Anderson and Gary Payton II could see more minutes with some of their teammates out with the virus.

Key Player - Steph Curry

The superlatives regarding how great Steph Curry is have come by the dozen, particularly when the chase of Ray Allen’s record was still going on. While the hoopla may have subsided, the Golden State Warriors’ MVP continues to impress in games.

The Sacramento Kings have the second-worst defensive rating in the league and will have their hands full with the greatest shooter of all-time roaming the perimeter. Opponents are almost paralyzed in fear with Steph Curry’s shooting, but an underrated part of his game is his ability to find open teammates.

4 minutes left in the 4th quarter of a close game

Stephen Curry: https://t.co/96PnO1XT6o

The baby-faced assassin is still averaging 6.1 assists per contest despite the constant double-teaming and shadowing of his movements. He is going to be a pain for the Sacramento Kings to contain, especially with almost half of the roster sidelined.

Golden State Warriors Predicted Lineup

G - Steph Curry | G - Damion Lee | F - Juan Toscano-Anderson | F - Draymond Green | C - Kevon Looney

Kings vs Warriors Match Prediction

Unless Steph Curry is kept out of this game for some reason, the Golden State Warriors should get another win against the depleted Sacramento Kings.

Where to watch the Kings vs Warriors game

The NBA League Pass will stream the game live. Local coverage of the matchup is available via NBC Sports Bay Area and NBC Sports California.