Lakers vs Kings Pick, Preview & Betting Odds For Wednesday, December 21st

Check out our free Lakers vs Kings pick and preview for this NBA game in Sacramento. See who we like to win and cover the spread in this NBA matchup.

Lakers vs Kings NBA Pick & Preview

Sport: NBA
Teams: Los Angeles Lakers at Sacramento Kings
Where: Sacramento at Golden 1 Center
Date: Wednesday, December 21st
Betting Odds SAC -6, LAL +198 | SAC -248 O/U OFF

The Lakers come into today’s matchup with an overall record of 13-17. So far, the team has gone 12-16-2 against the spread. Across the team’s previous 3 games, they have gone 2-1 straight-up and 1-2 vs the spread.

Los Angeles is trying to bounce back from a 130-104 loss to the Suns. Going into this game, the team was 11 point underdogs on the spread, giving them an ATS loss. Los Angeles struggled throughout the game, as they were not able to chip away at a 24 point halftime deficit. Leading the team in scoring was Dennis Schröder, as he contributed 30 points while hitting 63.2% of his shots.

The Kings come into today’s matchup with an overall record of 16-13. So far, the team has gone 17-11-1 against the spread. Looking back on Kings’ previous 3 games, they have a record of 2-1 while averaging 121 points per game. Over this stretch, their ATS mark is 2-1.

In their previous game, the Kings were favored to win vs the Hornets. However, their 125-119 loss gave them both a straight up and ATS defeat. Sacramento was not able to turn things around in the 2nd half, as they trailed the Hornets by 6 going into halftime. Leading the team in scoring was De’Aaron Fox, as he contributed 37 points while hitting 56.0% of his shots.

Head To Head Recap & Stats

I In last year’s head-to-head meetings, the Lakers averaged 123.0 points per game vs Sacramento, which was an increase over their season-long average. On the other side, the Kings also experienced an uptick in scoring during head-to-head matchups, averaging 118.0 points per game vs Los Angeles. Although the Kings have the better ATS mark across the previous 5 head-head matchups at 3-2, the average scoring margin sits in favor of Los Angeles, as they averaged 121 points per game while allowing 118. In these contests, they averaged a combined 239 points per game, leading to an over-under mark of 4-1.

Odds & Free Betting Analysis For This NBA Game

For the season, the Los Angeles offense is the 11th ranked unit in the NBA, at 115.1 points per contest. Coming into today’s game, the Lakers will be looking to improve their 3-point shooting numbers, as they are averaging just 9.9 made 3’s per game. If the team is going to improve their scoring numbers, they will need to become more efficient with their shots as Los Angeles is already one of the leaders in pace, averaging 102.7 possessions per game.

On defense, the Lakers will look for some improved play, as they are currently the 28th ranked unit in points allowed per game.

Los Angeles will be relying on LeBron James to provide a strong scoring performance in today’s game against the Sacramento. Anthony Davis has been ruled out. So far this season, Davis has been the team’s leading scorer with an average of 27.4 points per game. James is 2nd on the team with 27.0 points per game, which places him 14.0th in the NBA. In 22 games, he has hit 48.5% of his field goal attempts and is averaging 8.5 rebounds per game.

Through 29 games, Sacramento is the 2nd best scoring team at 117.8 points per game. So far, Sacramento is averaging 101.7 possessions per game, making them one of the more up-tempo teams in the league. So far, the team has been able to rank well on offense, even though their up-tempo style of play has not translated into inside scoring. Currently, Sacramento is just 16th in 2-point field goal makes per game.

Against the Lakers, the Kings will need a stronger defensive effort as they are ranked just 29th in points allowed.

Before getting a bet down on this matchup, be sure to check in on the health status of Domantas Sabonis who is 2nd on the team in scoring at 18.0 points per game. At the time of this article, Sabonis is listed as questionable. For the season, he is 5th on the team in usage rate and is 22nd in the NBA in player efficiency rating. If he is able to play, Sacramento benefit from having both of their top scorers as De’Aaron Fox leads the team and is 25th in the league in scoring (23.2). For today’s matchup, he will going against a defense ranked 11th in points allowed to point-guards.