NBA Betting Picks: Sacramento Kings vs Denver Nuggets Lines and Best Bets on December 16

The Sacramento Kings seek for its fourth straight win as they begin a five-game homestand on Monday against Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets at the Golden 1 Center.

 (Photo by Rocky Widner/NBAE via Getty Images)

Sacramento heads into this game on the back of a close 111-109 road win versus the New Orleans Pelicans last Thursday while Denver is fresh off a 120-98 demolition of the Los Angeles Clippers.

• Early Sacramento Kings vs Denver Nuggets odds have the Kings as a slight one-point favorite in this exciting Western Conference showdown.
• It has a lot to do with the Kings’ incredible performance lately, beating teams by an average margin of 24.7 points in their past three wins.
• Both teams, however, have been slightly underwhelming Against-The-Spread (ATS) this season with the Kings covering the spread 10 times out of their 26 games and the Nuggets covering the spread nine times in 23 games.

Will DeAaron Fox and the Kings extend its win streak to a season-high of four or will Jokic and the rest of the Nuggets spoil the party?

Here’s how the current Sacramento Kings vs Denver Nuggets betting lines look like as we head into this thrilling matchup that could potentially end in the dying seconds.

Sacramento Kings vs Denver Nuggets DraftKings NBA Odds for December 16

Moneyline

• Sacramento Kings: -110
• Denver Nuggets: -110

Spread

• Sacramento Kings: -1 (-105)
• Denver Nuggets: +1 (-115)

Over/Under (Total)

• OVER 237 (-110)
• UNDER 237 (-110)

Sacramento Kings vs Denver Nuggets Injury Report

Sacramento Kings Injury Report

1. Trey Lyles – Calf – Out

Denver Nuggets Injury Report

1. Vlatko Cancar – Knee – Out
2. DaRon Holmes II – Out
3. Dario Saric – Ankle – Out

Best NBA odds for Sacramento Kings vs Denver Nuggets

• The Sacramento Kings have beaten teams by nearly 25 points in their past three victories. The best Sacramento Kings odds for the home team to cover the spread are available on Bet365 for an attractive price of -105.
• The Denver Nuggets have covered the spread in the past two games. Caesars Sportsbook has the best odds for the Nuggets to cover the spread at -115.
• A low-scoring affair is usually on the cards when the Denver Nuggets and the Sacramento Kings face off with three of their last five encounters hitting the under. The best Sacramento Kings vs Denver Nuggets odds for the under are available on Caesars Sportsbook at -105.

Why will the Sacramento Kings cover the spread?

After an up-and-down November that saw them only winning seven of their 17 games, the Sacramento Kings have seemingly turned things around this month, winning four of their past six assignments.

• Even more impressive was the fact that Sacramento beat their opponents by an average margin of 20.8 points all thanks to the offensive explosion of versatile forward Domantas Sabonis.
• Across the last five games, the 28-year old Sabonis has stepped up to the plate, posting remarkable averages of 23.4 points and 13.6 rebounds on an impressive 65% shooting from the field.
• Not to be outdone is mid-range specialist Demar Derozan who has been averaging solid numbers of 22.4 points, three rebounds, 2.8 assists, and 1.6 steals while converting 47% of his shots from the field.
• Oh and lest we forget about crafty guard DeAaron Fox, who is currently ranked ninth in scoring with averages of 26.1 points, 6.1 assists, and 5.1 rebounds.

With Fox, Derozan and Sabonis seemingly on target for the Kings this season, there could be massive value towards backing them to cover the spread and potentially win outright against the Denver Nuggets here.

It is also worth noting that they are taking on a Nuggets team that has been less than average on the road as far as covering the spread is concerned.

For context, Denver has only covered five times in 12 road games this season and what’s even worse is they are 4-11-1 ATS when bookmakers have them as a favorite.

All things considered, the Kings may have a better chance of covering the spread versus the Nuggets than the current odds suggest, especially if Fox, Derozan, Sabonis, and the rest of the crew deliver here.

Why will the Denver Nuggets cover the spread?

Franchise superstar Nikola Jokic had a quiet night on Friday but that didn’t stop the Denver Nuggets from blowing out the Los Angeles Clippers 120-98 and recording its second consecutive win.

• Sweet shooting guard Jamal Murray was on target for the Nuggets dropping a cool 20 points on top of five rebounds, four steals, and three steals while Michael Porter Jr. added 17 points, five boards, and four assists.
• Denver’s bench was also on target as their reserves tallied a total of 45 points, led by Peyton Watson’s 14 points on five-for-six shooting from the field.

Jokic was only limited to 16 points versus the Clippers after exploding for 56 and 48 markers in the last two games but they might need him to step up here as they take on a red-hot Sacramento Kings squad next.

• Albeit last Friday’s performance, the 29-year old Jokic has been more than impressive this season, posting insane averages of 31.5 points, 13.3 rebounds, and 9.8 assists, all of which are good for second-best in the league.

Should Jokic start looking for his offense rather than letting the other guys control the tempo, then the Kings might be in for a long night.

With Murray regaining his old scoring form and the Nuggets bench on target, a Jokic explosion might be the only thing Denver needs to walk away with a dominant victory versus the Kings here.

Of course, speculating is one thing, actually doing it is another. For the Nuggets to achieve such a thing, they would need to tighten their defensive screws and find a way to contain Domantas Sabonis, Demar Derozan, or DeAaron Fox or perhaps all three.

Final Sacramento Kings vs Denver Nuggets NBA Prediction: Denver Nuggets ML (-110)

The Sacramento Kings have been winning games for fun all thanks to the offensive explosion of different players. However, their winning streak ends here versus the Denver Nuggets.

While the Kings certainly have the firepower on both ends of the floor to pull off the win, I expect Nikola Jokic to bounce back in style here after a season-low game last time versus the Los Angeles Clippers and that could mean trouble for the home team. Give me the Nuggets to win outright.