Los Angeles Lakers vs Sacramento Kings 03/03/2021 NBA Odds, Preview, and Pick

The Los Angeles Lakers travel to nearby Sacramento to take on the Kings at the Golden 1 Center on Wednesday night.

The Lakers are coming off a home loss to the Phoenix Suns the night before and have lost six out of their last nine games which Anthony Davis has missed while rehabbing his tendonosis. Meanwhile, the Kings have struggled even more with one win in their last 10 games played. This is the first of three meetings between these teams this season.

Los Angeles Lakers

The Lakers are 24-12 on the season and they have the second-best record in the Pacific Division. The defending NBA champions fell to third place in the Western Conference team standings after losing to the Suns on Tuesday evening. The Purple and Gold have gone 3-6 without Anthony Davis and were without Marc Gasol and Kyle Kuzma against the Suns.

LeBron James had a big scoring night with 38 points while Dennis Schroder added 17 points. Talen Horton-Tucker contributed 16 points off the bench and Markieff Morris had 12 points and 6 rebounds. Los Angeles shot just 35.5 from three-point range, making five fewer three-point baskets than Phoenix.

Los Angeles is ranked 21st in the league in scoring at 111.1 points per game. They have the league’s second-best scoring defense at 105.9 points per game allowed. The Lakers are the 8th best rebounding team in the NBA at 45.5 boards grabbed per contest and they are ranked 18th in passing at 24.4 assists per game.

Sacramento Kings

The Sacramento Kings are 13-21 on the season and they are currently in the bottom of the Pacific Division team standings. The Kings are third from the bottom of the Western Conference and they are 5.5 games behind the 8th seeded Golden State Warriors. Sacramento has won just once in their last 10 games played and has lost six in a row at home.

In their last game, the Kings could not close out the Hornets on Sunday night. Sacramento missed five free throws in the final 69 seconds and Malik Monk converted on a three-point play as time expired to give the Hornets a 127-126 win. Buddy Hield scored 30 points while Harrison Barnes added 28. De’Aaron Fox also had a big game with 20 points and 14 assists in the losing effort.

Sacramento is 10th in the league in scoring at 114.4 points per game. They have the worst scoring defense in the NBA at 120.3 points per game allowed. The Kings rank 27th in rebounding at 42.5 boards pulled down per outing. They are 10th overall in passing at 25.9 assists per contest.

Who Wins?

The Lakers are 2-5 SU in their last seven games played. Los Angeles is 13-4 SU in 17 road games played this season, and 1-4 SU in their last five games played against the Pacific Division. The Kings are 1-10 SU in their last 11 games played. Sacramento is 7-12 SU in 19 home games played this season, and 3-9 SU in their last 12 games played against the Western Conference. Head to head, the Lakers are 7-3 SU in their last 10 games played against the Kings.

Los Angeles is coming off a tough outing last night at Staples Center where they lost by 10 points to a Phoenix Suns team that lost Devin Booker to an ejection midway through the third quarter. Aside from Anthony Davis, the Lakers’ frontline became thinner with Marc Gasol and Kyle Kuzma also sitting out the game.

The Kings’ defense has allowed over 125 points and 52.9% shooting in their last 10 games played and that’s not good when you’re playing a Lakers team that has plenty of scoring options. The Lakers aren’t one of the league’s top half offensive teams but against the Kings’ porous defense, they should score more than enough points to win the game.

Prediction: Los Angeles Lakers

Other Bets To Make

Los Angeles is 10-3 ATS in their last 13 games as road underdogs. The Lakers are also 16-5 ATS in their last 21 games as underdogs, 6-2 ATS in their last eight road games against opponents with a losing home record. However, they are 2-6 ATS in their last eight road games overall, and 1-6 ATS in their last seven games against a team with a losing SU record. Sacramento is 1-10 ATS in their last 11 games played. Sacramento is 0-6 ATS in their last six games played on the road, 5-11-2 ATS in their last 18 home games with a winning road record, and 3-8-1 ATS in their last 12 Wednesday games. Head to head, the Lakers are 5-2 ATS in their last seven games against the Kings. Los Angeles is also 4-0 ATS in their last four meetings in Sacramento.

This is only the 4th game this season where the Lakers are underdogs and they are 2-1 ATS in the previous three instances. Los Angeles is coming off a 10-point loss at the hands of Phoenix last night and has to travel to Phoenix to face a well-rested Kings team. The Lakers will be without AD and Marc Gasol while Kuzma will be uncertain to play. Despite that, Los Angeles still has the better team. I’ll take the Lakers with the plus points on the road against the 13-21 Kings. You don’t get to have the defending champions at +3.5 points against a team 8 games below the .500 mark.

Prediction: Lakers +4

The total has gone under in six out of the last seven games played by the Lakers. The under is 20-6 in their last 26 games played on the road. Los Angeles has seen the total go under in each of their last four games as road underdogs. The under is also 13-5 in the Lakers’ last 18 Wednesday games. The total has gone over in five out of the Kings’ last six games as home favorites. The over is 13-3 in their last 16 home games against an opponent with a winning road record, and 19-7 in their last 26 home games. Sacramento has seen the total go over in seven out of their last 10 games when playing on two days rest. Head to head, the under is 11-5-1 in their last 17 meetings but the over is 3-1-1 in the last five meetings in Sacramento.

The Lakers are one of the best defensive teams in the league this season and are also in the bottom half in scoring so it’s no surprise why they have favored the under. However, they have been inconsistent without AD. Los Angeles has allowed fewer than 100 points in three out of their last six games played but has conceded 114 or more in the other three games during that span. The Kings meanwhile are ranked 30th in defensive efficiency and 8th in pace. Sacramento has given up at least 122 points in five out of their last six games played. The Lakers are a good defensive team but with plenty of possessions and scoring opportunities, this should be a high-scoring contest.

Prediction: Over 226

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