Kings vs. Lakers Prediction: NBA Odds, Point Spread
It’s an all-Cali matchup as the Sacramento Kings are headed to the City of Angels for a Friday night matchup against the L.A. Lakers. Despite a 116-107 loss in Washington on Wednesday, Anthony Davis and the Lakers look like they’re coming together and about to hit playoff-mode. The Kings, on the other hand, are fresh off the worst beating in the NBA this season, a 154-105 blowout loss against Utah.
L.A. opened as a 9.5-point favourite to win on the NBA odds with a total of 224.5.
NBA Point Spread and Betting Analysis
The Lakers didn’t need LeBron James or Davis in the lineup to take down the Kings, earlier this month. Kyle Kuzma had a game-high 30 points for L.A. in a 115-94 win in Sacramento on April 2.
There’s no sugarcoating it, Sacramento has been brutal this year. The Kings are 3-12 straight up in their last 15 games and they’ve lost six of their last seven road contests. They haven’t been any better at covering, as they’re 27-34-1 against the spread. Sacramento has split the Over/Under equally over their last 10 games.
L.A. only has one win in their last five games, but they’re bound to be a different team now that Davis is seemingly at full health. The Lakers are 28-33-1 ATS this season, but they’ve only covered once in their last seven games. They’ve hit the Over in eight of their last 12 games.
Sacramento Kings
Things haven’t been any easier for Sacramento after losing De’Aaron Fox. The Kings’ leading scorer is averaging almost 10 points more per game than the next closest Sacramento player. Fox has missed the last three games after being placed on the COVID protocols list and he’s expected to miss at least the next four or five games. With Fox out of the lineup and their playoff hopes all but gone, the Kings looked like they wouldn’t even win a G-League game in a nightmare of a loss against Utah on Wednesday. The Kings gave up 154 points to Utah and lost by a 49-point margin, both franchise records for the Jazz.
It’s not all doom and gloom for this team though, as rookie Tyrese Haliburton is at least providing a positive look for the future. The 20-year-old Haliburton is averaging 12.8 points, 5.3 assists and 1.3 steals per game and should make his fourth straight start on Friday. Haliburton’s overall shooting efficiency sits at over 55 per cent and he’s hitting a little over 40 per cent from 3-point range. Over his last three starts, Haliburton is averaging over 17 points, including a double-double performance against Dallas on Sunday. If you’re going to find a silver lining on this team, it will be with Haliburton.
Los Angeles Lakers
The Lakers lost to Washington on Sunday, but fans must be happy to see Davis looking like he’s back to full game speed. With ten games left in the regular season, AD’s return is perfect timing for L.A., as he can steady the ship until LeBron is back. Davis had 26 points and five rebounds on Sunday, while playing 31 minutes, by far the most playing time since his return. AD’s shooting looks back up to par and he should provide some much-needed defensive stability for L.A.
Although Dennis Schroder had an off-night against Washington, finishing with 13 points and eight assists, the Lakers received some valuable secondary scoring from the bench. Ben McLemore and Montrezl Harrell each hit double-digit figures. McLemore put up 16 points and three rebounds, while Harrell added 12 points and three rebounds. This is an L.A. team that is only going to get better the closer they get to playoff time.
SAC
LAL