The Sacramento Kings travel to Los Angeles to take on the Los Angeles Lakers on Wednesday night. This is a match-up between two teams that found success in the NBA playoffs last year and are expected to do the same this season. Sacramento enters play with a 5-4 record to start the season. On the road, they’re just 1-3.
The Lakers have struggled a bit this season, which wasn’t necessarily the biggest surprise to some. While the preseason hype was there for Los Angeles, it’s tough to say if that was warranted. At 5-5, Los Angeles will look to be over .500 with a win. That should be easier at home with their 4-0 record.
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Lakers – Kings Prediction
- Pick: Kings to win
- Odds: -103 (Tonybet)
The Kings were without De’Aaron Fox since October 29th before he returned against the Cleveland Cavaliers on Monday night. With Fox, the Kings are 3-1 and have scored an average of 127 points per game. In the five games without him, Sacramento went 2-3 and averaged 102.7 points per game. The offensive struggles were clear without Fox on the court and should disappear with his return.
Los Angeles has been healthy for the most part this season but hasn’t done enough to say they’re going to be a championship team early in the season. The Lakers currently rank 24th in net rating (-4.9), 25th in offensive rating (109.0), and 21st in defensive rating (114.0). None of these figures suggests that Los Angeles can keep up with the Sacramento offence.
Lakers – Kings Betting Tip
- Pick: De’Aaron Fox Over 26.5 Points
- Odds: -129 (Tonybet)
De’Aaron Fox, when playing, has been as profitable as they come with 2023 NBA picks. He’s averaging 30.5 points and has scored at least 28 in three of the four games that he’s played. Considering the Lakers give up the seventh most points to point guards, it’s safe to say that this is a positive match-up for Fox. While there’s a risk due to his previous injury, this is an ideal opportunity for De’Aaron to excel in what he does best: scoring at a high level in basketball.
On the season, the Lakers are giving up 24.15 points per game to point guards. Fox didn’t have a minutes restriction on Monday, as he played 36 minutes, which means he shouldn’t be on one on Wednesday.
