Sacramento Kings vs Los Angeles Lakers 01/18/2023 NBA Odds, Preview, and Prediction

The Sacramento Kings visit the Los Angeles Lakers in a battle of Pacific Division rivals on Wednesday. The Kings have won their last four games and are 7-3 SU in their last 10 games played overall.

Meanwhile, the Lakers look better in recent games and have gone 6-3 SU in their last 9 games played.

Sacramento is 24-18 SU on the season and is on top of the Pacific Division team standings, three games ahead of L.A. Clippers and Golden State Warriors. The Lakers are at the bottom at 20-24 SU on the year but they are just 5 games behind the Kings.

The Lakers beat the Kings the last time out 136-134 in another high-scoring affair.

Sacramento Kings

The Kings are having a terrific start and at 24-18 SU and ATS, they are coming off a 132-119 road win over the San Antonio Spurs. The Kings have won their last four games played and are 4-1 SU and ATS in their last four games. In their last game, defeated the lowly San Antonio Spurs 132-119 with Harrison Barnes scoring 29 points to lead the team.

De’Aaron Fox added 23 points while Domantas Sabonis had 18 points, 18 rebounds, and 8 assists in their last game played. The Kings finished the game shooting 14 three-pointers on 30 attempts while posting an impressive 24/6 assists-to-turnover ratio. Defense, however, has been an issue. The Kings’ are 24th in the league in defensive rating at 115.1 points per 100 possessions.

Los Angeles Lakers

After a five-game winning streak, the Los Angeles Lakers lost three straight games, including losses to the Mavericks and Sixers where spotty officiating cost them victory. The Lakers arrested their three-game losing skid with a 140-132 win over the Houston Rockets the last time out, in a game where LeBron James scored a season-high 48 points.

Despite his age, James continues to play dominant basketball. However, like the Kings, defense is a big issue for the Lakers. It won’t be much of a factor here though as the Kings are the top-scoring team in the league this season and the Lakers are in the Top 10. Los Angeles shot 53.8% from the floor but was just 12-33 from three-point distance.

Kings vs Lakers SU Prediction

The Kings are 6-4 SU in their last 10 games played against the Lakers. Sacramento is 3-1 SU in their last 4 games played in Los Angeles.

Sacramento Kings SU trends:

• The Kings are 4-1 SU in their last 5 games played.
• The Kings are 10-9 SU in their last 19 games played on the road.
• The Kings are 8-2 SU in their last 10 games played against the Pacific Division.
• The Kings are 5-2 SU in their last 7 games played in January.

Los Angeles Lakers SU trends:

• The Lakers are 6-3 SU in their last 9 games played.
• The Lakers are 3-2 SU in their last 5 games played at home.
• The Lakers are 1-10 SU in their last 11 games played against the Pacific Division.
• The Lakers are 3-8 SU in their last 11 games played on a Wednesday.

The Kings head to Wednesday’s contest with a four-game winning streak and with seven wins in their last 10 games played, including a win over the no. 1 seeded Denver Nuggets. One of the losses during that stretch, however, was against the Lakers, right before their current win streak.

De’Aaron Fox had 34 points and 9 assists in that game while Domantas Sabonis added 25 points and 12 rebounds. Fox leads the Kings in scoring at 23.8 points per game while Sabonis has recorded 20 consecutive double-doubles. The latter was recently named the Western Conference Player of the Week and he’s averaged 18.5 points, 14.3 rebounds, and 10.3 assists per game during the team’s current four-game winning streak.

LeBron James is averaging over 35 points per game in his last 10 games played and is coming off a season-high 48 against the Rockets the last time out. James is also 315 points away from Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s all-time scoring record. Despite having ankle soreness, James played last Monday against the Rockets and while he is listed as questionable here, he will likely play to keep the Lakers’ momentum going. Los Angeles is 6-3 SU in their last 9 games played.

The Lakers are much improved than the last time these teams met. With LeBron playing great in his last 10 games played, the Lakers should have the offense to keep up with the Kings. As we saw the last time out, the Lakers can outscore the Kings in a high-scoring affair.

I expect a similar game on Wednesday. These teams should figure in a shootout. Just like their last game, this one will also be high-scoring. If LeBron plays and continues his hot steak, the Lakers should have the firepower to outscore the Kings.

Prediction: Los Angeles Lakers

Kings vs Lakers ATS Prediction

The Kings are 3-1 ATS in their last 4 games played against the Lakers. Sacramento is 5-1 ATS in their last 6 games played in Los Angeles.

Sacramento Kings ATS trends:

• The Kings are 4-0 ATS in their last 4 games overall.
• The Kings are 4-1 ATS in their last 5 road games.
• The Kings are 4-0 ATS in their last 4 games after allowing 100 points or more in their previous game.
• The Kings are 4-0 ATS in their last 4 when their opponent allows 100 points or more in their previous game.
• The Kings are 4-0 ATS in their last 4 games after scoring 100 points or more in their previous game.
• The Kings are 4-0 ATS in their last 4 games after scoring more than 125 points in their previous game.
• The Kings are 4-0 ATS in their last 4 games vs. a team with a losing straight-up record.
• The Kings are 5-2 ATS in their last 7 games following a straight-up win of more than 10 points.
• The Kings are 1-6 ATS in their last 7 games playing on 2 days’ rest.

Los Angeles Lakers ATS trends:

• The Lakers are 5-1 ATS in their last 6 games following an ATS win.
• The Lakers are 4-1 ATS in their last 5 games following a straight-up win.
• The Lakers are 4-1 ATS in their last 5 games playing on 1 day’s rest.
• The Lakers are 4-1 ATS in their last 5 home games.
• The Lakers are 7-2 ATS in their last 9 games overall.
• The Lakers are 7-2 ATS in their last 9 after allowing 100 points or more in their previous game.
• The Lakers are 7-2 ATS in their last 9 when their opponent allows 100 points or more in their previous game.
• The Lakers are 7-2 ATS in their last 9 when their opponent scores 100 points or more in their previous game.
• The Lakers are 6-2 ATS in their last 8 after scoring 100 points or more in their previous game.
• The Lakers are 3-1-1 ATS in their last 5 home games vs. a team with a winning road record.
• The Lakers are 11-27 ATS in their last 38 games after allowing more than 125 points in their previous game.
• The Lakers are 2-5 ATS in their last 7 games after scoring more than 125 points in their previous game.
• The Lakers are 7-18-1 ATS in their last 26 games against a team with a winning record.

The Kings are playing very well right now and they head to this contest with a four-game winning streak. The Sacramento offense is as good as it gets but defensively, the Kings are 7th from the bottom at 117.0 points per game allowed.

The Lakers are actually worse, at 4th from the bottom, in scoring defense. However, this is the type of game that the Lakers want to play. The Kings are the no. 1 scoring team in the NBA while the Lakers are 7th in the league in scoring. However, the difference in scoring average is less than 3 points per game. That’s nothing if you have LeBron James who is putting up 35.8 points per game in his last 10 games played, six points better than his season-scoring average.

However, James is listed as questionable to play in this game with left ankle soreness. He did, however, play in back-to-back games the last time out and is coming off a 48-point explosion against the Rockets. If LeBron plays on Wednesday night, the Lakers are a value pick here. If not, it’s almost a given that the Kings cover the spread.

Prediction: Lakers +4.5, but if LeBron plays. If he becomes a game-time decision, don’t risk it and go with the Kings instead.

Kings vs Lakers Over/Under Prediction

The total has gone over in each of the last five games played between these two teams. The over is 4-1 in the last five games played in Los Angeles.

Sacramento Kings over/under odds:

• The over is 5-0 in the Kings’ last 5 overall.
• The under is 10-3 in the Kings’ last 13 road games.
• The over is 5-0 in the Kings’ last 5 after allowing 100 points or more in their previous game.
• The over is 5-0 in the Kings’ last 5 when their opponent allows 100 points or more in their previous game.
• The over is 4-0 in the Kings’ last 4 when their opponent scores 100 points or more in their previous game.
• The over is 5-0 in the Kings’ last 5 after scoring 100 points or more in their previous game.
• The over is 4-0 in the Kings’ last 4 games after scoring more than 125 points in their previous game.
• The over is 5-0 in the Kings’ last 5 vs. a team with a losing straight-up record.
• The over is 6-1 in the Kings’ last 7 Wednesday games.
• The over is 6-1 in the Kings’ last 7 games playing on 2 days’ rest.
• The under is 9-2 in the Kings’ last 11 road games versus a team with a winning home record.

Los Angeles Lakers over/under trends:

• The over is 6-1 in the Lakers’ last 7 games after allowing more than 125 points in their previous game.
• The over is 12-4 in the Lakers’ last 16 games playing on 1 day’s rest.
• The over is 20-7-1 in the Lakers’ last 28 versus a team with a winning straight-up record.
• The under is 5-2 in the Lakers’ last 7 games after scoring more than 125 points in their previous game.
• The over is 15-7 in the Lakers’ last 22 when their opponent scores 100 points or more in their previous game.

The current line is incredibly high at 245.5 points. However, these two teams have the perfect recipe for a track meet. Los Angeles ranks 2ndd in the league in pace at 102.0 possessions per 48 minutes while the Kings are 4th at 101.4 possessions per 48 minutes.

The Kings are the no.1 scoring team in the NBA while the Lakers are in the Top 10. These two teams are also in the bottom 10 as far as scoring defense is concerned so I don’t expect to see any defense on Wednesday night.

These teams have topped 250 points in their last two meetings and have combined to average 259.0 points per game in their last 3 head-to-head meetings. The Kings have scored at least 134 points in each of their last 6 games played while the Lakers have hit at least 130 in half of their last 6 games, including 140 the last time out against Houston.

This one is going to be a track meet.

Prediction: Over 245.5

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