Basketball fans in The Golden State are spoiled this year as there are four teams from California in the 2022-23 NBA Playoffs: the Golden State Warriors, Los Angeles Lakers, Los Angeles Clippers, and Sacramento Kings.
The Warriors and Kings are playing against each other in what will be a breathtaking series, while the Lakers and Clippers have come out of the gate looking like contenders in the Western Conference. You can bet on any or all four of these teams at the best NBA betting sites.
Believe it or not, this is the first season that all four California teams have reached the NBA Playoffs at the same time. But which California team will go the furthest? BetOnline is giving us a chance to answer this question with an exciting NBA Playoff prop bet.
Which California Team Will Advance Furthest In NBA Playoffs?
The following 2023 NBA Playoff prop bet is courtesy of BetOnline:
| TEAM | ODDS |
|---|---|
| Golden State Warriors | +150 |
| LA Lakers | +225 |
| LA Clippers | +325 |
| Sacramento Kings | +375 |
The best-case scenario happened through the opening weekend of the 2023 NBA Playoffs for teams in California. Three out of four teams won, as the Kings, Lakers, and Clippers take an early lead in their best-of-seven series.
With the Kings and Warriors playing each other, the maximum number of California teams that can advance to Round 2 is three. On Saturday night, the Kings defeated the Warriors in a thriller at the Golden 1 Center.
Despite the clutch win, the Warriors are favored to advance the furthest in the NBA Playoffs according to California online sports betting sites.
The Lakers and Clippers were impressive in their Playoff openers, as well. LeBron James and the Lakers edged past the Grizzlies in a game that was much closer than the final score of 128-112 suggested.
In Phoenix, the Clippers rode a 38-point performance from Kawhi Leonard to a win against the Suns on the road. However, one win does not define a Playoff series. The Clippers, Lakers, and Kings still have a lot of work ahead of them.
For the first time ever, all four NBA teams in California have made the playoffs in the same season. pic.twitter.com/4YmlgRQNWr
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) April 12, 2023
Golden State Warriors (+150)
The Warriors are the defending NBA champions. They beat the Boston Celtics in six games for their fourth title since 2015.
This was not a regular season to remember for the Warriors. As the No. 6 seed in the Western Conference, the Warriors finished with a record of 44-38 and limped into the postseason.
Regardless of their struggles at times, the Warriors are favored to make it the farthest out of the California teams.
The Dubs are tough to beat at home in Mission Bay at the Chase Center. However, the Warriors were unable to show that they could win consistently on the road this season.
In fact, they were one of the worst road teams in the entire NBA in 2022-23. With a record of 11-30 on the road, only the Pistons, Spurs, and Rockets were worse than the Dubs away from home1.
While the Warriors battled hard in Game 1 against the Kings, it went down as another loss on the road. It wouldn’t be that problematic if the Warriors were a higher seed.
But the No. 6 seed would mean the Warriors will only have home-court advantage over the Timberwolves and Lakers. Currently, the Dubs are in a tough series against the confident Sacramento Kings. The Kings have much more talent than the media has talked about this season.
Golden State has ample talent on their roster to make another deep run. Never count out a team that features Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson. That being said, there isn’t much value for the Warriors at +150 NBA betting odds.
Los Angeles Lakers (+225)
Flying out of the gate in Week 1, the Lakers are up 1-0 in their best-of-seven series against the Memphis Grizzlies. They grabbed home-court advantage away from the Grizzlies with the victory.
The Grizzlies will have to steal a game at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles to advance. This is far from an impossible task for Memphis, but it will be considerably tougher if they do not have Ja Morant.
Game 1 was a tight contest until Memphis couldn’t get a stop in the 4th quarter. While the Grizzlies are capable of winning four of the next six games, they need to toughen up in the paint.
Steven Adams sure would have been nice to have in this spot. Xavier Tillman didn’t have much of an answer for Anthony Davis and LeBron James who was determined to take it to the rim with nearly every touch.
LEBRON CHASE DOWN BLOCK. pic.twitter.com/4tmV5IKmzl
— Los Angeles Lakers (@Lakers) April 16, 2023
If the Lakers make it past the Grizzlies, they will play either the Kings or the Warriors. We noted the issues that the Warriors have had on the road this season. However, Golden State will own home-court advantage in this scenario.
The Lakers would be heading to enemy territory in a seven-game series against the Kings. Losing Game 6 and Game 7 of the 2002 Western Conference Finals, due to blatant cheating, is still fresh in the minds of Kings fans.
The Golden 1 Center is going to be a frenzied madhouse if the Lakers and Kings meet in the next round. So, whether it is the Warriors or Kings in the next round, the Lakers would not have an easy assignment.
Los Angeles Clippers (+325)
The Clippers were one of the most impressive teams in the opening weekend of the first-round. They went into Phoenix and beat a very talented Suns team at the Footprint Center.
In the absence of Paul George, the Clippers rode Kawhi Leonard’s 38 points to a 115-110 win. After they blew a double-digit lead, it appeared like the Suns were ready to take control of the game.
Credit the Clippers, as they persevered to get the game going back in their direction. This is against a Suns squad that includes Kevin Durant, Devin Booker, Chris Paul, and Deandre Ayton.
Kawhi Leonard’s first playoff game since June 14, 2021
38 PTS
5 REB
5 ASTPlayoff Claw is back pic.twitter.com/hthNBfJ03s
— CBS Sports (@CBSSports) April 17, 2023
That is one win. The Clippers are expected to be without George throughout the remainder of the first round of the playoffs. They have to expect the Suns to come back with a resilient performance in Game 2.
According to Basketball Reference, the Clippers have the lowest Simple Rating System of the California teams. The franchise formerly known as the Buffalo Braves and San Diego Clippers is 18th in the NBA with an SRS of 0.312.
However, Leonard will have to play that lights out for the rest of the series if they’re going to win. We are certainly not giving up on Durant and the Suns after one loss. In fact, there’s better value on Phoenix at sports betting sites after the loss.
A win for the Clippers would likely result in a second round matchup against the No. 1 seed in the West. Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray would not be an easy out for the Clippers.
Sacramento Kings (+375)
BetOnline has the Sacramento Kings as the longshot to go furthest in the NBA Playoffs. This is clearly a representation of the lack of respect that the Kings received during the regular season from the media and the California online gambling sites.
The media and public were late to respond to how good this team is. Following a 126-123 win over the Warriors in Game 1, it is good to see that the Kings are finally getting the attention that they deserve.
As the No. 3 seed in the Western Conference, the Kings are the highest seed from California in the Playoffs. Not the Lakers or Warriors, but the Kings.
“LIGHT THE BEAM”
De’Aaron Fox lights the beam 🙌 pic.twitter.com/bVuQDs2Jw9
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) April 16, 2023
Sacramento notched a record of 48-34 in the regular season. They won at home and on the road. At 25-16 on the road, the Kings are by far the best road team out of these four squads3.
Additionally, the Kings have the highest SRS and points per game in California. The Kings lead the NBA with 120.7 points per game and 8th with an SRS of 2.304.
Furthermore, it isn’t just quantitative data that makes the Kings a good team. Two of the most underrated players in the NBA are in Sacramento (De’Aaron Fox and Domantas Sabonis). Sabonis might be THE most underrated in the league.
Sabonis is a mismatch for the Warriors. Kevon Looney is not keeping pace with Sabonis. The Warriors would have benefited from bringing in Jakob Poeltl at the trade deadline.
If the Kings get past the Warriors, they own home-court advantage versus what could be a rematch more than 20 years in the making against the Lakers. The energy in a series against the Lakers at the Golden 1 Center would be unmatched.
Which California Team Goes The Furthest?
According to oddsmakers, the Kings have the least likely chance of advancing the farthest in the 2023 NBA Playoffs. That is great news for bettors that are looking for betting value, which is the best NBA betting strategy for this prop bet.
Take the Kings and their juicy +375 odds to beat the Warriors and then the Lakers, as they advance to the Western Conference Finals. Once there, they will face the Denver Nuggets who will dispose of the Clippers in the Western Conference Divisional Round.
Sources
2022-23 NBA Standings | ESPN. Retrieved From “https://www.espn.com/nba/standings”
2022-23 Los Angeles Clippers Roster and Stats | Basketball-Reference.com. Retrieved From “https://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/LAC/2023.html”
2022-23 NBA Standings | ESPN. Retrieved From “https://www.espn.com/nba/standings”
2022-23 Sacramento Kings Roster and Stats | Basketball-Reference.com. Retrieved From “https://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/SAC/2023.html”
