The Golden State Warriors won the NBA title last season. They have a world of playoff experience. They scored the ungodly total of 89 FIRST HALF points against the Sacramento Kings when these teams first met in October.

So why are they underdogs in Game 1 of their Western Conference playoff series?

Well, our best guess is that the Kings are the most efficient offense in the NBA this season. Wait, let's not stop there. Their figure of 118.6 points per 100 possessions (which is what the Offensive Rating is based on) is the highest in the history of the NBA. So they get the ball down the floor in a hurry and they make a lot of shots.

But there is still quite a bit of faith in the Dubs among the betting public, as they are a -265/+225 favorite to win the series.

In the NBA playoff odds that have been posted on Game 1 by the folks at BetOnline, the Kings are the slight favortites:

Sacramento Kings -1
Golden State Warriors +1

Over 237.5 Points -110
Under 237.5 Points -110

And don't forget that when you go to the website, you can check out Odds Boosters, which offers tremendous payouts on pre-selected parlays, every day of the week!

Domantas Sabonis' father was one of the greatest centers in history. And he is proving to be a chip off the old block. In his first full season with the Kings, he led the league in rebounding, averaged 19.1 points AND led the team in assists.

He is also the guy who, more often than not, gets the transition offense going.

The coach who has presided over all this is Mike Brown, who has previously been the head man with the Cavaliers and Lakers, and spent six years as the chief assistant to Steve Kerr at Golden State, winning four NBA rings in the process. What's important to remember with Brown is that he knows the Golden State team through and through, so there aren't going to be any surprises for him.

That still didn't stop the Warriors from scoring those 89 first-half points, including 50 in the second quarter, back in October at the Chase Center. It should be noted, however, that after making some adjustments at halftime, Brown's team held Golden State to just 41 points in the entire second half.

He's got some stuff at his disposal that could throw a wrench into Golden State's plans. Namely, the ability of De'Aaron Fox to come through at all key times. Fox, who played his collegiate ball (albeit briefly) at Kentucky, has always been known as one of the fastest players in the NBA with the ball in his hands. But he has also registered more "clutch" points than anyone else in the league.

There are wild cards here, of course. One of them is Draymond Green, who could conceivably guard anyone at any time. It is clear that even though the Warriors had the kind of record (44-38) that barely kept them out of the play-in phase of the playoffs, they still keep a brisk pace (second in NBA) and also rank second in the league in three-point percentage, so that stretches the Sacramento defense.

That is a potential death blow to the Kings - the fact that they do not defend at a high playoff level. Sacto is 25th in the league in Defensive Rating, and it is hard for us to fathom how they are going to deal with Steph Curry (29.4 ppg) on any kind of consistent basis. Remember that the Kings don't want to get into a three-pointy shooting contest, but those jumpers by Fox are almost all of the two-point variety.

Sacramento is playing its first playoff game together as a unit. And they do not play anything resembling lockdown defense. So despite all of Brown's knowledge of the team he was with as recently as last season, that may not be enough to topple an opponent that knows how to rise to the occasion. We'll take that point.

Count on BetOnline to take you the rest of the way in the NBA! You'll find all the numbers there, including daily props on playoff action at Prop Builder. And don't forget that they have a lot of ways for you to open up an account, including credit cards and every viable cryptocurrency option you can think of!