The best series of the first round of the NBA playoffs continues on Friday, when the defending champion Warriors host the fan favorite Kings in a potential close-out spot at home.

Golden State enters Friday’s contest as a massive home favorite to end this series and to make good on their overwhelming pre-matchup odds to advance despite being the lower seed in this matchup.

Will the Dubs finish the job, or can Sacramento force a decisive Game 7 at home?

Here’s how we’re betting Friday’s contest, which tips off at 8 p.m. ET on ESPN.

(via BetMGM)

(8 p.m. ET on ESPN)

Just as we anticipated in our Game 5 preview, the Warriors extended their record streak of 28 postseason series with at least one road win, quieting the critics of their checkered road record during the regular season and early in this series.

And with a 3-2 lead on their own home court, this feels like a quintessential close-out spot for a team that knows how to take care of business in the playoffs.

Golden State looked every bit like the team we’ve come to expect over the last few years with its monumental Game 5 win in Sacramento.

Stephen Curry (31 points) led all scorers despite a lackluster day from deep; Klay Thompson (25) and Draymond Green (21) joined the scoring parade; and Kevon Looney (22 rebounds, 7 assists) did the dirty work to secure his team’s fate.

Now this group returns home, where it’s been virtually unbeatable all season long.

The Warriors boasted the NBA’s third-best outright home record (33-8) with the best mark against the spread (28-14-1) in the regular season, and they’ve won their two home games in this series by a combined 18 points.

That alone is a massive challenge for the Kings to overcome.

So is the injury to star guard De’Aaron Fox (finger), which was obviously a factor in the team’s crushing loss on Wednesday.

After averaging 31.5 points through the first four games of this series, the All-Star guard finished with 24 points on just 9-of-25 shooting (36%), including 3-of-10 from deep (30%).

He also got to the free-throw line just three times all game and finished with a team-high six turnovers – tied for his most in a game since the season opener on Oct. 19.

Clearly, Fox isn’t at his best with that fractured finger on his left shooting hand, and his teammates struggled to carry the load.

Domantas Sabonis (21 points) topped 15 points for only the second time this series, but the rest of the team shot just 44% from the field with middling efficiency from deep.

The biggest issue?

The Kings’ defense can’t keep up.

The Warriors shot a ridiculous 52.1% in Game 5, which comes after they made half their shots in Game 4, too.

And they didn’t even shoot well from deep (28.9%) or the free-throw line (63.2%) on Wednesday, both of which seem ripe for positive regression in Game 6.

As this series wears on, Sacramento’s biggest weaknesses – shoddy defense and a heavy reliance on Fox’s playmaking and shot creation – are bubbling to the surface, and the reigning champs are too seasoned not to take advantage.

This is a massive number to lay in a series that’s been competitive to this point, but it feels like the fatal blow is coming on Friday.