Sacramento Kings vs LA Lakers: Prediction and Betting Tips for 2023-24 NBA Season | Nov. 15, 2023

The Sacramento Kings begin their six-game road trip with a visit to the Crypto.com Arena to take on the LA Lakers. The Kings defeated the Lakers 132-127 in an overtime thriller on October 29. The two rivals are scheduled to meet two more times in March of 2024.

The Kings are entering this game on a three-game win streak. They didn't have the services of De'Aaron Fox for five games until their last outing against Cleveland. Fox dropped 28 points and six assists in his return and Sacramento lit the beam to cross .500 this season.

The Lakers are coincidentally on a run similar to the Kings. They too snapped their three-game losing skid and turned it into a three-game win streak. Their win against the Suns in the NBA In-Season Tournament was a turning point and they are now back over .500.

Sacramento Kings vs LA Lakers: Game Details, Preview, Betting Tips and Prediction

Game Details

Teams: Sacramento Kings (5-4) vs LA Lakers (6-5)

Date and Time: November 15, 2023 | 10:00 P.M. ET

Venue: Crypto.com Arena, Los Angeles, California

Sacramento Kings vs LA Lakers Preview

The Kings will look to increase their win streak against this Lakers side they know so well. Since 2020, the Kings have won eight games to the Lakers' four. They are sixth in the West and second in their group West C in In-Season Tournament play.

Domantas Sabonis is averaging 18 points per game along with career-highs in rebounds, assists and blocks. However, he isn't very efficient from the field, shooting at a 30% clip from downtown and just 59% from the charity stripe.

Alex Len and Trey Lyles are sidelined for this game. As reported by James Ham of ESPN 1320 Sacramento, Len suffered a moderate high ankle sprain against the Cavaliers. Lyles is out due to a calf strain in his left leg and is yet to make his season debut.

The other players on the injury report are two-way players on NBA G League assignments.

The Lakers, on the other hand, got the services of Anthony Davis back in their In-Season Tournament game against Phoenix. He is on a tear, averaging MVP-caliber numbers and also making a strong case for DPOY. Davis is averaging a league-best 3.3 blocks per game.

Moreover, LeBron James is looking a decade younger than he actually is, averaging 24.3 points, 5.5 assists, 8.5 rebounds and 1.3 steals per game in his 21st season.

Jalen Hood-Schifino, Jarred Vanderbilt and Gabe Vincent will all be sidelined for the Lakers. Vincent has been out for the last seven games with knee effusion while Vanderbilt (heel) is yet to make his season debut.

Sacramento Kings vs LA Lakers: Predicted starting lineups

De'Aaron Fox and Kevin Huerter will start in the backcourt for the Kings. Harrison Barnes and Keegan Murray will form the frontcourt, with Barnes playing the three. Domantas Sabonis will retain his position as the center. Davion Mitchell, Malik Monk and Chris Duarte will get the most minutes off the bench.

The Lakers will deploy their usual starting five with LeBron James at the three and Anthony Davis as the center. D'Angelo Russell and Cam Reddish will form the backcourt with Russell at the point.

With Vanderbilt absent, Taurean Prince has usually filled the starting power forward role. Austin Reaves, Rui Hachimura and Christian Wood are the key bench players for the Lakers.

Sacramento Kings vs LA Lakers: Betting Tips

The two teams are so evenly matched that some oddsmakers have the Lakers winning while others have the Kings. Either team is favored to win by a single point (-1/+1) with certain sportsbooks stating the spread as a 'pick'em', which means no underdog or favorite.

LeBron James' over/under is at 23.5 while Fox opens up with a 26.5 points over/under for the game. The odds of James or Sabonis dropping a triple-double are +900 and +600 respectively.

The total is over/under 232.5 and the moneyline is -100. Fox and Sabonis should combine for over 40 points in the game while James and Davis should total over 50. The Kings and Lakers are evenly matched on the glass as well, with either team capable of grabbing more boards than the other.

Sacramento Kings vs LA Lakers: Prediction

The LA Lakers have a slight edge over the Kings to win this match because it is taking place at Crypto.com Arena in front of their Laker faithful. Despite their 6-5 record, they are unbeaten at home (5-0).

On the other hand, the Kings aren't doing so well on the road. They are 1-3 away from Sacramento so far.

The Lakers are coming off a game scorching hot from three-point range so we should expect them to maintain some that efficiency at home and fire guns blazing.