Sacramento Kings vs. Golden State Warriors Prediction: Can De'Aaron Fox Dish It Out in Game 5?
The Kings and Warriors are all tied up in this series. Can De'Aaron Fox dish it out in Game 5? Ben Rajavuori answers.
Ben Rajavuori - April 26, 2023, 5:04 PM EDT
5 minSacramento Kings vs. Golden State Warriors Prediction: Can De'Aaron Fox Dish It Out in Game 5?
The Kings suffered a one-point loss in Game 4 on the road to make home teams 4-0 in the series. This isn't too much surprise, though, as the Warriors were one of the strongest home teams in the league this season and also one of the worst road teams. Now, the Kings come back home for game five, and they are actually short underdogs of +1.5 points. This is probably because of the news surrounding star point guard De'Aaron Fox, who fractured the tip of his index finger in game four. Fox is listed as questionable for Game 5.
Kings vs. Warriors Game 5 Start Time and Where to Watch
- Date: Wednesday, April 26, 2023
- Start Time: 10:00 pm ET
- Where to Watch: TNT
Sacramento Kings vs. Golden State Warriors Game 5 Prediction
Fox has made it pretty clear that he intends to play, even though he is still listed as questionable. Fox said that if a similar injury happened in the regular season, he may have sat for a week or two, but given the situation in the playoffs in a tied series, he is going to tough it out and play. Fox participated in the team shootaround today, which is a good sign for the team, and it looks like he really will suit up and play. The question, though, is how effective will he be with a broken finger. Even more importantly, the injured finger is the index finger on his shooting hand. I think this opens an excellent opportunity for a bet on Fox's assists.
Fox is already a point guard, which makes him playing with a broken finger still effective because he can pass and guide the offense like he is used to in the point guard role. Given that his shooting hand now has a broken finger, I expect him to play quarterback even more and make plays to get other guys' buckets. Sure, he can still drive and make short shots, but I highly doubt he can comfortably shoot outside shots as he has been in the series.
Honestly, even if Fox weren't injured, this wouldn't be a bad bet. The line is set at 5.5 assists, and he has hit nine assists twice in the series already in Games 2 and 3. He had five assists in Games 1 and 4, barely missing this line of 5.5. This season, in 77 games, Fox hit over 5.5 assists in 44 of them, hitting at 57%. He has been even better against the Warriors, hitting 6+ assists in six of his last eight games against the Warriors. The Warriors have allowed 8.69 assists to point guards on average this season, which is the ninth-most in the league.
With the series being tied at 2-2, the Kings know they have to win this game, or the Warriors will almost certainly close the series out at home in Game 6. Fox knows he has to play for the Kings to have a chance, and I love the passion he has for the game to play through the pain.
I can't see Fox lighting it up from deep tonight with a shooting hand injury, but he can certainly be effective in the passing game and on the boards. Six assists should be easy for him tonight, and I could see him getting a double-double pretty easily here. 10+ assists is +700 on FanDuel and may be worth a shot in same-game parlays.
Sacramento Kings vs. Golden State Warriors Game 5 Pick
Pick: De'Aaron Fox O5.5 Assist -142 is currently the best odds. Click here to find out which sportsbook has the best odds for this pick
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