The Cleveland Cavaliers (15-12) host the Sacramento Kings (11-15) Saturday at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. Tip-off is scheduled for 8 p.m. ET. Below, we look at the Kings vs. Cavaliers odds and lines, and make our expert NBA picks, predictions, and bets.
Sactown lost a 124-123 shootout at the Charlotte Hornets Friday, snapping a three-game win streak (3-0 ATS). The Kings are 3-3 straight-up (SU), 3-3 ATS and 4-2 O/U over the past two weeks with the 22nd-ranked efficiency differential according to CleaningTheGlass.com (CtG).
Cleveland trampled the Timberwolves in Minnesota Friday 123-106. The Cavs are 6-2 SU, 8-0 ATS and 4-4 O/U over the last 14 days with the third-best efficiency differential and second-best spread differential in the NBA (CtG). The Cavs are on a 10-game cover streak.
The Kings won both meetings with the Cavs last season but Cleveland covered the most recent game against Sactown. Also, the Under has cashed in five of the past six Kings-Cavaliers meetings, including three straight.
Kings at Cavaliers odds, spread and lines
Odds provided by Tipico Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports’ betting odds for a full list. Lines last updated at 1:10 p.m. ET.
- Money line: Kings +205 (bet $100 to win $205) | Cavaliers -260 (bet $260 to win $100)
- Against the spread (ATS): Kings +6.5 (-115) | Cavaliers -6.5 (-107)
- Over/Under (O/U): 223.5 (O: -108 | U: -112)
PLAY: Free, daily sports pick’em contests. Play now!
Kings at Cavaliers key injuries
Kings (not officially submitted)
- C Richaun Holmes (eye) out
Cavaliers
- None affecting gambling odds.
Kings at Cavaliers odds, lines, picks and predictions
Prediction
Cavaliers 118, Kings 107
Money line
PASS on betting the Cavs (-270) outright because it’s a little out of my price range for an NBA regular-season favorite.
However, this is the rare time I wouldn’t hate a money line parlay, pairing Cleveland with the Utah Jazz’s money line for a better payout on both.
Against the spread
The CAVS -6.5 (-107) are the play in this game because they are 4-0-1 ATS as a favorite this season with a plus-10.6 ATS margin and a massive size advantage against the Kings.
I keep saying this but Cleveland has a dynamic but long starting frontcourt: C Jarrett Allen (6-foot-11) is an elite rim protector and rebounder, PF Evan Mobley (7-foot) is a springy athlete that can stay in front of most ball handlers and SF Lauri Markkanen (7-foot) adds length and floor spacing.
The Cavs are also eighth in total rebounding rate while the Kings are 26th and are missing their best rebounder — Holmes. Plus Sactown allows the most paint points per game in the NBA.
Lastly, Cleveland beats up on bad defenses: The Cavs are 7-2 SU with plus-4.8 points per 100 possessions and the best ATS margin (plus-9.2) against teams in the bottom 10 of defensive efficiency (CtG).
BET 1 unit on the CAVS -6.5 (-107).
Over/Under
PASS with a slight “lean” towards the Over 223.5 (-108) since it’s being hit by sharp money.
The market loves the Over so much that the total has been increased from the 217-point world opener up to the current number according to Pregame.com.
We’d be getting to the party way late on the Over 223.5 (-108) so let’s not chase value here.
If you’re looking for more sports betting picks and tips, access all of our content at SportsbookWire.com and BetFTW. Please gamble responsibly.
Follow Geoff Clark on Twitter. Follow SportsbookWire on Twitter and like us on Facebook.
Additional NBA sports coverage:
HoopsHype | Celtics Wire | LeBron Wire | Lonzo Wire | Nets Wire | Rockets Wire | Sixers Wire | Thunder Wire | Warriors Wire | Rookie Wire | List Wire
Gannett may earn revenue from Tipico for audience referrals to betting services. Tipico has no influence over nor are any such revenues in any way dependent on or linked to the newsrooms or news coverage. See Tipico.com for Terms and Conditions. 21+ only. Gambling problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER (NJ), 1-800-522-4700 (CO), 1-800-BETS-OFF (IA).
[lawrence-newsletter]
[lawrence-auto-related count=3 category=1622]