The Sacramento Kings (21-36) head to the nation’s capital Saturday to play the Washington Wizards (25-29). Tip-off at Capital One Arena is scheduled for 7 p.m. ET. Below, we look at the Kings vs. Wizards odds and lines, and make our expert NBA picks, predictions and bets.
Sactown has alternated between winning and losing over its past six games with the most recent being a 132-119 victory at home versus the Minnesota Timberwolves Wednesday. The Kings are 5-2 against the spread (ATS) over their last seven outings.
Washington has won just two of its last six games (1-4-1 ATS), including a 113-112 home victory over the Brooklyn Nets as a 1-point favorite Thursday.
The Kings beat the Wizards 119-105 Dec. 15 in their first meeting this season and the Under cashed on a 227-point total.
Kings at Wizards odds, spread and lines
Odds provided by Tipico Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated at 12:55 p.m. ET.
- Money line: Kings -150 (bet $150 to win $100) | Wizards +122 (bet $100 to win $122)
- Against the spread: Kings -2.5 (-120) | Wizards +2.5 (-105)
- Over/Under: 223.5 (O: -110 | U: -110)
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Kings at Wizards key injuries
Kings
- None
Wizards
- SG Bradley Beal (wrist) out
- C Daniel Gafford (health and safety protocols) out
- PF Kristaps Porzingis (trade pending) out
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Kings at Wizards odds, lines, picks and predictions
Prediction
Kings 117, Wizards 106
Money line
BET the KINGS (-150) for 1 unit because they have the best backcourt player, a decisive edge in the frontcourt and perform better against poor competition.
New King PF Domantas Sabonis has balled in recent visits to Washington. Sabonis has averaged 31.7 points per game (PPG) on 67.9% shooting with 13.0 rebounds and 7.3 assists in three games at the Wizards since the beginning of last season.
Sabonis also dominated when his former team, the Indiana Pacers, beat Washington 116-110 Dec. 6. He scored 30 points on 73.3% shooting (8-for-8 in free-throw attempts) with 10 boards, 6 assists and 3 steals.
The Sabonis acquisition pushed former Sactown starting center, Richaun Holmes, to the bench. Holmes is an underrated big and will be one of the best backup bigs in the NBA if he remains on the bench.
The Wizards sent former 6-man PF Montrezl Harrell to the Charlotte Hornets at the trade deadline and acquired PF Kristaps Porzingis from the Dallas Mavericks.
However, Porzingis said in a press conference earlier Saturday that he didn’t expect to play and the Wizards are still without Gafford. All this adds up to give Sactown a decisive frontcourt edge.
Both teams are also in the bottom-10 of net rating but the Kings play much better against bad teams.
Sactown is 12-7 straight up (SU) versus bottom-10 teams with a plus-2.9 adjusted net rating and plus-1.3 ATS margin, according to CleaningTheGlass.com. Whereas Washington has a minus-0.3 adjusted net rating and minus-5.5 ATS margin (ranked last) versus bottom-10 teams.
The KINGS (-150) is my favorite wager in this contest.
Against the spread
PASS.
I’d prefer Sacramento’s money line unless it goes north of -170. If that happens then I’d bet the Kings -2.5 (-120) all the way up to -4. Either way, Sactown is the play based on the aforementioned analysis and Washington’s 6-15-1 ATS mark versus teams with a losing record.
Over/Under
PASS.
My prediction aligns perfectly with the projected total so there’s no value in this number. If anything, I’d “lean” towards the Over 223.5 (-110) since both teams have a top-10 free-throw attempt rate and the Kings have gone Over the total in four straight games.
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