Sacramento Kings vs LA Lakers Prediction and Betting Tips

The LA Lakers have a chance to sweep the series against a struggling Sacramento Kings when they host the Pacific Divison rivals at the Crypto.com Arena on Saturday. The Purple and Gold have dominated the Kings throughout this season, and a win in their final regular-season skirmish will see them whitewash Sacramento for the first time since the 2009-10 season.

First up, it's been a turmoil-riddled campaign for the Kings, and with just over 30 games into the season, they sacked head coach Mike Brown. Their campaign has been turbulent, and paying the price was Brown who had earlier inked a multiyear extension, reportedly a three-year/$30 million deal. His ouster after taking over in 2022 comes amid the side's five-game losing streak and an abysmal 13-18 record that includes a disappointing 6-12 run at home.

Sacramento's key players have had their share of the spotlight as well with De'Aaron Fox's trade rumors and DeMar DeRozan's fit with the team doing the rounds. The franchise made some massive moves in the summer, bagging DeRozan, a 6x NBA All-Star from the Chicago Bulls, and retained potential Sixth Man of the Year candidate Malik Monk and impressive draft pick Keegan Murray to form a promising core.

Roster health, questionable decisions, and inconsistency played a part in Brown's sacking even with their star trio of Fox, DeRozan, and Domantas Sabonis each propping over 20 points per game. Come Saturday, they will look to restore parity to their fledgling season under interim HC Doug Christie.

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As for the Lakers, their 4-1 record in their last five games sees them sitting sixth with a 17-13 record. They pulled off a last-minute heist against the Golden State Warriors to notch up a 115-113 win. When it comes to dissecting their wins against the Kings, the positives for LA were Anthony Davis, LeBron James, and dominating the paint.

While James is questionable for Saturday's showdown, Davis' availability by his admission, comes as a major boost after an ankle injury scare that saw him ruled out early in their skirmish against the Warriors. Sacramento has listed Domantas Sabonis as questionable (illness) and should be sitting out of the matchup, LA can take advantage of the Kings' below-par defense and string up another win.

Sacramento Kings vs LA Lakers Preview, Predicted Starting Lineups, Betting Tips, Odds, and Prediction

The Sacramento Kings vs LA Lakers tips off at 10:30 PM ET. Local coverage will be on SportsNet LA and NBCS-CA. The game can be streamed live on Fubo TV(regional restrictions may apply) and on the NBA app with a subscription to the NBA League Pass.

Here are the odds as listed at the time of writing:

Teams	Spread	Total (o/u)	Moneyline
Sacramento Kings	+2.5	o223.5 (-105)	+124
LA Lakers	-2.5	u223.5 (-108)	-147

Sacramento Kings vs LA Lakers Preview

Despite their poor defense, the top-heavy Kings are one of the better teams with the firepower to outscore their opponents. Sacramento has banked on Fox (26.2 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 6.1 assists), DeRozan (20.7 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 3.9 assists), and Sabonis (21.1 points and 13.5 rebounds). Malik Monk (15.7 points) and Keegan Murray (12.1 points) have been reliable role players to provide the offensive juice. But their defense needs shoring up if they intend to beat LA on Saturday.

Sacramento is 17th in scoring defense, averaging 113.6 points per game, and allowing 110.8 points per 100 possessions. They concede 46.2% from the field (14th in the league) and are 26th in 3-point defense allowing 37.5% from the deep. They are still a top-10 unit in scoring offense taking tenth position with 112.1 points per 100 possessions. They shoot an eighth-best 47.6% from the field and are 24th in 3-point offense draining 34.2% of their 3s.

The Lakers will hope that their role players Austin Reaves and Rui Hachimura continue their scoring streak. D'Angelo Russell is yet to have a stellar game for the Lakers amid the constant trade buzz. A bulk of their wins have come from Davis (25.7 points, 11.4 rebounds, and 2.1 blocks) and LeBron James (23.5 points, 7.9 rebounds, and 9.0 assists).

Reaves is their third-best scoring option with 17.4 points and 5.1 assists, and that has been the difference for the side. The absence of a consistent bucket-getter has seen an overreliance on their star duo. LA is 19th in scoring offense averaging 110.4 points per 100 possessions. They are 10th in the league in FG% (47.0) and 20th in 3-point offense (34.8).

The LA Lakers continue to be hot and cold on defense. They are 19th in scoring defense, allowing 112.2 points. They concede 47.6% from the field (23rd) and 36.6% from downtown (21st).

Sacramento Kings vs LA Lakers Predicted Starting Lineups

The LA Lakers IR sees D’Angelo Russell (left thumb sprain) is listed as probable. Davis (left ankle), James (left foot injury management), Rui Hachimura (illness), and Jaxson Hayes (right ankle contusion) are listed as questionable. Jarred Vanderbilt and Christian Wood (surgery recovery) are out.

Position	Player
PG	Austin Reaves
SG	Max Christie
SF	LeBron James
PF	Rui Hachimura
C	Anthony Davis

Domantas Sabonis (illness) is listed as questionable. This would mean the Kings are likely to play the same side that started against the Detroit Pistons.

Position	Player
PG	De'Aaron Fox
SG	Malik Monk
SF	DeMar DeRozan
PF	Keegan Murray
C	Alex Len

Sacramento Kings vs LA Lakers Betting Tips

LeBron James comes into the contest with an o/u of -108/-115 on points. Anthony Davis is -106/-110 on points and rebounds. Austin Reaves is -115/-105 on points and assists. For the Kings, De'Aaron Fox is -115/-115 on points. DeMar DeRozan is -106/-115 on points and rebounds.