Sacramento Kings vs Los Angeles Lakers 01/04/2022 NBA Odds and Prediction

The Sacramento Kings get back on the road after playing their last six games at home. They make the trip to Staples Center on Tuesday night to take on the Los Angeles Lakers who have gone 2-0 SU in their current homestand.

Sacramento is 16-22 on the season and they are at the bottom of the Pacific Division team standings. The Kings have split their last 10 meetings but have won three out of their last four games played. If the playoffs began today, Sacramento would be the 10th seed and a participant in the play-in tournament for the final two playoff spots in the West.

Los Angeles has gotten back to the .500 mark with back-to-back wins over the Portland Trail Blazers and Minnesota Timberwolves, both at Staples Center. The Lakers are in 4th place in the Pacific Division, three games ahead of the Kings and 11 behind the Golden State Warriors’ pace. If the postseason began today, the Lakers would be 8th seed in the Western Conference and would need to win one of the final two playoff spots in the play-in tournament.

Sacramento Kings

Sacramento took down the Miami Heat 115-113 in their last game. Buddy Hield made seven three-pointers en route to a game-high 26 points off the bench to lead the Kings. De’Aaron Fox added 25 points, 6 rebounds, and 6 assists while Damian Jones had a double-double with 18 points and 10 rebounds for Sacramento.

The Kings rank 12th in the NBA in scoring at 109.5 points per game. They are 20th in rebounding at 44.2 boards grabbed per contest and are 22nd in passing at 22.7 assists per game. Sacramento has the league’s 28th worst scoring defense at 113.7 points per game allowed.

Los Angeles Lakers

Turnovers nearly cost the Lakers their last game with Russell Westbook committing a ridiculous nine turnovers. LeBron James’ 30-point streak ended at 7 but he still had a big game with 26 points, 7 rebounds, 5 assists, 3 steals, and one blocked shot. Camelo Anthony hit a big four-point play down the stretch and added 14 points while Malik Monk had a big game with 22 points.

The Lakers rank 8th in the entire NBA in scoring at 111.0 points per game scored. They are 11th in passing at 24.3 assists per game and also 11th in rebounding at 45.5 boards grabbed per contest. The Lakers’ defense is just 26th at 111.9 points per game conceded this season.

Who Wins?

The Kings are 5-5 SU in their last 10 games played. Sacramento is 6-10 SU in 16 road games played this season. The Lakers are 4-6 SU in their last 10 games played. Los Angeles is 12-10 SU in 22 games played at Staples Center this season.

Sacramento heads to this contest having lost their last four on the road. Most recently, they lost 113-98 against the Golden State Warriors at Chase Center last December 20th. Since then, they have played six games at home, going 3-3 during that span. The Kings, however, have won three out of their last four games including a 115-113 victory against the Miami Heat.

The Lakers meanwhile, have emerged from their recent five-game losing streak by going 3-1 SU in their last four assignments. Los Angeles has won back-to-back games at Staples Center, including a narrow 108-103 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves. LeBron James’ streak of 30-point games ended against Minnesota but he still had a big game against the Wolves.

With James setting the tone for his team, the Lakers are playing a little better than they were a couple of weeks ago. It’s still not the kind of team that we all expected them to be. But with a little fire in them, and another strong performance from Malik Monk, the Lakers should win this game.

Prediction: Lakers -275

Other Bets to Make

Sacramento is 17-21 ATS in 38 games played this season. The Kings are 1-5 ATS in their last six games played on the road, 6-13 ATS in their last 19 games played after a one-day rest, 1-4 ATS in thor last five games after an ATS win, 1-4 ATS in their last five games after a straight-up win, and 12-15 ATS in 27 games against the Western Conference this season.

Los Angeles is 17-35 ATS in their last 52 games after scoring more than 100 points in their previous game, 16-36 ATS in their last 52 games after a straight-up win, 8-20 ATS in their last 28 home games against an opponent with a losing road record, 3-10 ATS in their last 13 games against an opponent with a road winning percentage below .400, and 1-4 ATS in their last five games when playing on one-day rest.

Head to head, the Lakers are 6-4 ATS in their last 10 games played against the Kings. However, the Kings are 4-0 ATS in their last four games against the Lakers at Staples Center.

Los Angeles is one of the worst ATS teams in the league at 15-23 ATS. They have also struggled to cover the betting spread at Staples Center and are just 7-15 ATS in 22 games played at home, the third-worst ATS home record in the NBA. The Lakers’ ATS plus/minus is -4.8 points so they aren’t really a good ATS bet. They have outscored the Kings by an average of 5.1 points per game in their last 10 meetings, covering the spread six times.

The Kings are in the bottom 6 when it comes to road ATS records. Sacramento has covered just seven times in 16 road games but has an ATS plus/minus of -1.0, meaning the games have been close. The Kings might not have the talent to beat the Lakers, they have shown that they are a team that can keep pace with their opponents.

Los Angeles has won two in a row but unless they can do it on a consistent basis, they aren’t an ideal team to back up, especially as betting favorites. The Lakers are just 8-18 ATS when entering the game as betting favorites, the worst home ATS mark in the league this season. I think Los Angeles wins this game but I think 8 points may be too much to lay in favor of an inconsistent team like them.

Prediction: Kings +8

The total has gone over in 10 of the 16 road games played by the Kings. The over is 5-1 in their last six games against an opponent with a winning home record, 5-2 when their opponent scores 100 or more points in their previous game, 5-2 in their last seven Tuesday games, 5-2 in their last seven road games, and 9-4 in their last 13 games when playing on one-day rest.

The total has gone over in four of the last six games played by the Lakers. The over is 4-0 in Los Angeles’ last four games after an ATS loss, 3-1-1 in their last five games against an opponent with a road winning percentage below .400, 5-2-1 in their last eight games at home against a foe with a losing record, and 4-1 in their last five Tuesday home games.

The Lakers are the 8th best scoring team in the league and are the 26th in scoring defense. They have gone over 232 points in four out of their last seven games, scoring at least 132 points in two out of their last four games. The Kings meanwhile have seen the total go over 232 points just once in their last 10 games but their scoring should get a boost against Los Angeles’ non-existent defense.

These teams have combined to average over 234 points in their last three head-to-head meetings. With two teams in the top half of the league in scoring and a Lakers squad that is one of the worst in defending the opposition, this has the makings of a Western conference shootout.

Prediction: Over 232

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