The Sacramento Kings (43-28, 21-14 Home) are holding onto the 3rd spot in the Western Conference. They surprised the NBA this year and sit one game behind the Memphis Grizzlies. Sacramento has not had a 40 plus win season since the 2005-2006 season. With a few weeks left to go in the regular season, the Kings are looking to solidify their playoff seed. The Kings are coming off a loss against the Utah Jazz and look to rebound against the Celtics at home. The Boston Celtics (49-23, 23-14 Away) started the season 22-9, and struggle as of late. They are 5-5 in their last 10 games and took two overtime losses to Cleveland and New York. The Celtics are currently 1st in the Atlantic Division and sit in 2nd place behind the Philadelphia 76ers. These two teams will play tonight at 10 PM EDT, located at Golden 1 Center, in Sacramento, California. The matchup will air on NBATV. If you are looking for the best betting odds, here is information to know:
Betting Odds, Money Line, Spread, Under/Over
*All lines are taken from Draft Kings*
Money Line
Kings: +180
Celtics: -210
Over/Under: 238
Kings: -110
Celtics: -110
Spread:
Kings: +5 (-105)
Celtics: -5 (-115)
Season Matchup
Celtics 1-0 vs. Kings this season.
November 25th, 2022- Celtics Win 122-104 (Celtics home)
These two teams have matched up only one time this season. In fact, Boston secured a home win against the Kings by 18 points. Before the start of the game, the opening lines were Boston -7, and Over/Under 238. Boston secured the money line, the spread, and this game hit the under at 226 points. Although Sacramento outrebounded Boston 45-38, they had a game high 18 turnovers and shot only 25 percent from the 3-point. Boston finished the game with a 49.4 field goal percentage, and 43.2 percent from the beyond the arc. Jayson Tatum had a game high 30 points, on 10-17 field goal shots, and 2-5 from the three. Tatum added 8 rebounds, including 7 defensives, and added 4 assists. Jaylen Brown added 25 points, 5 rebounds, and shot 9-16, and 1-4 from the three. Two-way guard, Derrick White, added 15 points, 3 steals, and 3 rebounds. Sam Hauser provided 9 points off the bench, and Center Al Horford hit 100 % of his three-point shots. Jaylen Brown said it best, “We just needed some energy,” Brown said. “There’s games like that where the officiating kind of slows the game up, a lot of calls. We were looking for something to give us a little bit of a spark. (Source: ESPN).”
The Kings started as one of the hottest NBA teams, along with the Celtics, and were at one point even favorites to win the Western Conference. The Kings had high turnovers and played sloppy on both sides of the ball. De'Aaron Fox lead the Kings with 20 points, 4 rebounds and 2 assists. However, he was 3-9 on three-point shooting, and 6-17 overall from the field. Domantas Sabonis, who is in his second season after being traded to the Kings, put up 18 points, on 7-13 from the field. Additionally, he added 10 rebounds. Kevin Huerter, a regular season 40.8 % three- point shooter, went 0-6 from beyond the arc. Rookie Kegan Murray struggled as well, making only one three.
Regular Season Recap
Sacramento Kings
Overall: 43-28 Home: 21-4, Away: 22-14 Last 10: 7-3
The Kings are the most fun team to watch in the league this year. The Sacramento Kings shocked the NBA when they traded away Tyrese Haliburton, Buddy Hield, and Tristan Thompson to the Pacers, for star Power Forward Domantas Sabonis, Jeremy Lamb, and guard Justin Holiday. The Kings made another brilliant move in July, trading away Justin Holiday and Maurice Harkless to the Atlanta Hawks for shooting guard Kevin Huerter.
This season, Huerter is averaging a career-high 15 points per game, on 40.8 three-point shooting. He is also shooting a career-high 48.7 field goal percentage. Small Forward rookie Keegan Murray was a great draft pick out of Iowa. We saw that during pre-season, he could be an efficient scorer. Much like Huerter, Murray is shooting 40 % from the three-point. De’Aaron Fox is the longest tenured player on the Kings and has expressed his desire to remain with the team, even after losing seasons. The Kings have built around him, and it’s showing. He’s a first-time all-star this year, and has shown he can be an effective playmaker, shooter, and has been challenged with defense. He’s surrounded by players that can keep up with his tempo, and lets other players handle the ball. Fox is averaging a career-high 25.5 points 6.2 assists, 4.3 rebounds, along with a career-high in field goal percentage at 51 percent.
Let’s talk about Domantas Sabonis. Standing at 7 feet tall, he can do it all. He’s putting up nearly 20 points a game, and 12.5 rebounds, which ranks first in the league. He has taken over some ball handling responsibilities and is dishing out over 7 assists a game. This is not a fluke; the Kings are GOOD. They rank 1st in points per game with 121, and rank 3rd in assists with 27.2. This Kings team hasn’t been this good since the Peja Stojakovic, Chris Webber days, and we are all here for it. In their last ten games, they have had impressive wins over the Suns, Knicks, and the Clippers. The downside to this Kings team is their lack of defensive, where they rank 28th in opponents points per game with 118.3.
Boston Celtics
Overall: 49-23 Home: 26-9, Away: 23-14 Last 10: 5-5
At one point, the drama involving former coach Ime Udoka was flooding the news. He was suspended from the Boston Celtics for a year, and Boston was left with limited options for the head coach position. Of course, there was Joe Mazzulla, an assistant coach to the Celtics. He was named interim head coach of the Boston Celtics in September and was named Official Head Coach in February. Mazzulla quickly proved himself as a leader and a coach. The Celtics started the season red hot, going 3-0, and only 2 losses in November.
The Celtics made some off-season movies, adding Malcom Brogdon, and Danilo Gallinari, who has been injured all season. Both Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown are having career years and have blossomed into one of the biggest duo-threats in the NBA. Tatum is averaging over 30 points per game, and Brown at 26.7. Tatum has elevated his game so much, it’s hard to see many flaws in his game, besides shooting percentages. Both Derrick White and Marcus Smart are passionate, two-way defensive guards. Every single position on this team can play defense, including Robert Williams and Al Horford. Horford is shooting 45.7 % from the 3-point this season, followed by Brogdon at 45.7%. Although the Celtics have struggled as of late, they have talented players, who have been to the NBA playoffs together. Grant Williams and Sam Hauser are great role players who can defend and shoot the three. If Robert Williams can stay healthy during the playoffs, this team can be very dangerous. The Celtics rank 4th in points per game at 117.6, and rank 7th in rebounds, assists, and opponents points per game.
Injury Report
Sacramento Kings
PG Kevin Huerter (Questionable) Knee
Boston Celtics
PG Payton Prichard (OUT) Heel
PF Danilo Gallinari (OUT) Achilles
Key Players
Sacramento Kings
De’Aaron Fox- Fox has been lights out in his last 10 games, averaging 25.9 points per game, over 5 assists, and shooting 52 percentage from the field. In the Kings only loss against Boston, Fox added 20 points, and was limited to 35.3 percentage from the field. I expected Fox to bounce back today, although it will be a tough matchup against Boston’s perimeter defense.
Kevin Huerter and Keegan Murray- If Huerter plays, both him and Murray will be nice shooting options for Sacramento. Huerter is a key player here. If healthy, he's shooting 56.6 % from the three the last 10 games. However, he struggled in his only matchup with Boston, adding only 7 points on 20 % field goal shooting. Murray is another player who struggled against Boston last matchup, adding 3 points on 12.5 shooting percentage.
Domantas Sabonis- Sabonis has arguably been the Kings best player the last 10 games. He’s averaging 20.9 points per game, 13.1 rebounds, and shooting 42.9 percent from the 3-point, and 58.7 percent from the field. In his only matchup against Boston, Sabonis added 18 points, 10 rebounds, and 6 assists. With Robert Williams and Al Horford being back, Sabonis might have a tougher matchup tonight.
Boston Celtics
Jayson Tatum- #0 has been ice cold from the 3-point the last 10 days, only shooting 30 percent. However, over the last 10 games, he is averaging 28.9 points per game, over 10 rebounds, and 5 assists. Tatum only attempted 12 shots last game, and I expect him to increase that tonight. He ranks 17th in the league in defensive rating at 111.0 and is, according to NBA Sportsbooks, making an MVP push next to Nikola Jokic and Joel Embid. Tatum added 30 points in his only matchup against Sacramento this year. Expect him to have a productive night.
Jaylen Brown- #7 has been consistent over the last 10 games. Brown is averaging 27.7 points, 6.2 rebounds, and 4 assists. In addition, Jaylen Brown is shooting 36.4% from the 3-point and 50 % from the field. He’s averaging over 1.4 steals a game the last 10 games and had two steals against Sacramento in their only matchup this season. Last matchup against the Kings, he added 25 points.
Robert Williams and Al Horford- Robert Williams is back in the lineup tonight after missing 8 games. Al Horford will be back after missing last game as well. Horford provides veteran leadership, a defensive presence, a floor spacer, and he can shoot. He has been sidelined all season; however, he’s averaging over 8 rebounds per game. Both players should give Boston a defense boost down low. In addition, Al Horford shot 100 % in his last matchup against the Kings.
Key Stats
• Sacramento averages 121.1 points per game (1st in the League)
• Boston averages 117.6 points per game (3rd in the League)
• Sacramento ranks 28th in points allowed with 118.3 opponents points per game.
• Boston ranks 7th in points allowed with 112.3 opponents points per game.
• Sacramento ranks 22nd in rebounds per game with 42.3.
• Boston ranks 7th in rebounds per game with 45.1
• Sacramento ranks 7th in point differential at + 2.7.
• Boston ranks 2nd in point differential at +5.3
• Sacramento ranks 29th in blocked shots with 3.3 per game.
• Boston ranks 8th in blocked shots with 5.2 per game.
• Sacramento averages 37.4 percent from the 3-point, while Boston averages 37.6 from the 3-point.
LAST 10 GAMES + GAME PREDICTION
SPREAD: Boston -5
-Sacramento covered the spread in 4 of their last 10 games.
-Boston covered the spread in 6 of their last 10 games.
-Sacramento has a 40-30-1 record ATS this season.
-Boston has a 38-34-0 record ATS this season.
-Sacramento is 17-17-1 in HOME games ATS this season.
-Boston is 19-18-0 in AWAY games ATS this season.
The Boston Celtics are 5-5 in their last 10 and have struggled a bit. They are currently at the end of their west coast road trip and are 3-2. The Celtics are healthy and are coming off three games of rest after their loss against Utah. If Kevin Huerter is not available, that might be the Kings downfall. Last matchup, the Kings struggled against the Celtics, specifically shooting percentages. They won by 18 points last matchup. Give me Celtics -5 here.
MONEY LINE: Boston
-Sacramento won the Money Line 7 out of their last 10 games
-Celtics won the Money Line 5 of their last 10 games.
OVER/UNDER- Under
-Sacramento Avg +/- vs O/U Line: +3.15
-Boston Avg +/- vs O/U Line: -2.28
-Sacramento O/U Record: 36-34-1
-Boston O/U Record: 36-34-2
-Sacramento hit the OVER 6 times in their last 10 games
-Boston hit the OVER 6 times in their last 10 games
I like the under here. The last night these two teams matched; their combined score was 226. Boston is an extremely efficient team on both sides of the ball. The Kings are the #1 team in points scored. With Robert Williams back, him and Horford will provide defense and rebounds. Two-way guards Derrick White, and Marcus Smart will take care of the perimeter. Jayson Tatum has been very well defensively. Give me the under.
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Sara Jane is a full-time content creator, focusing on both college basketball, the NBA, NFL, and writer of Ballislife.com. Don’t forget to follow her on Twitter: @GGirlSports
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