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The Sacramento Kings will pay a visit to Arena Name to take on the Philadelphia 76ers on Saturday night. With that said, it’s a good time to check out our NBA odds series, which includes our Kings-Sixers prediction, odds, and pick we have laid out below.
The Sacramento Kings have lost five straight games, the latest being a 121-104 loss to the Atlanta Hawks. This has been a brutal stretch of games for Sacramento. Prior to Wednesday's defeat to Atlanta, the Kings lost by 53 points to the Boston Celtics. This losing streak also started with back-to-back losses to two of the worst teams in the league in the Houston Rockets and the Detroit Pistons.
Meanwhile, the Sixers are the opposite. Philadelphia has been one of the top teams in the East over the last month of the season. Since Christmas, they've had the best record in the conference at 13-3. Joel Embiid has been balling out of his mind and with this stretch, has emphatically made his case for this season's MVP plum. Philly's most recent win came in the form of a 105-87 beatdown of the Los Angeles Lakers.
Here is how FanDuel has set the Kings–Sixers NBA odds for this Saturday night NBA matchup.
NBA odds: Kings–Sixers Odds
Sacramento Kings: +10.5 (-110)
Philadelphia 76ers: -10.5 (-110)
Over: 223 (-110)
Under: 223 (-110)
Why the Kings could cover the spread
The Sacramento Kings are the obvious underdogs for this game. They have been struggling as of late, having lost five straight and 10 of their last 12 outings. Sacramento's two most recent defeats came in the form of blowouts, including an embarrassing 53-point drubbing to Boston. Playing against one of the hottest teams in the East, this could be another long night for Kings fans.
The Kings have listed starting guard De'Aaron Fox as questionable for Saturday. Fox has missed Sacramento's last three outings due to a left ankle injury. In addition to the 6-foot-3 lefty, the Kings similarly listed Chimezie Metu as questionable due to a sore left knee.
Getting Fox back would obviously give Sacramento a major boost. But if he isn't good to go, the Kings may have a tough time covering this double-digit spread. Nonetheless, sophomore guard Tyrese Haliburton has stepped up his game in games where Fox sits out. According to StatMuse, the multi-faceted guard is averaging 19.4 points, 4.4 rebounds, and 10.1 assists, while shooting 48.6 percent from the field and 41.5 percent from three in Fox's absence.
Davion Mitchell also had a solid outing, getting just his second career start in Fox's absence against the Hawks. The rookie scored 20 points and dished out six assists in 31 minutes. Obviously, Buddy Hield is also more than capable of going off and if he shoots well, the Kings may have a chance to make this a competitive outing against the Sixers.
The Kings have an (18-32) mark on the season. They are just (5-12) against Eastern Conference teams and (6-16) on the road. Against the spread, Sacramento holds just a (21-29) record this season.
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Why the Sixers could cover the spread
The Philadelphia 76ers have a good chance to cover the 11-point spread with they've been clicking as of late. Philadelphia still sits at 6th in the East but has a similar 29-19 record with the No. 5 seed Brooklyn Nets. A win on Saturday paired with a Brooklyn loss will get them to 5th and inch them closer to the 4th seed.
Joel Embiid has been a monster for the Sixers as of late and is largely responsible for their recent surge. Since December 16th, the 5-time All-Star has scored over 30 points in 16 of his last 19 outings. Prior to his 26-point performance in their most recent win over the Lakers, Embiid went absolutely nuts in a 4-game stretch where he averaged 42.5 points, 12.8 rebounds, and 4.5 assists. He scored at least 40 points in three of the four games and even dropped a 50-piece against the Orlando Magic last week. As Shaquille O'Neal would say, Embiid could go barbeque chicken playing against a Kings team that is dead last in opponent's points in the paint, per NBA.com.
Aside from the obvious Ben Simmons, Shake Milton is still on the injury list for Philadelphia. The 25-year old guard is nursing a back injury after suffering a scary fall earlier this month and does not have a timetable for a return. The Sixers also listed Seth Curry as questionable heading into Saturday. Curry has missed Philly's last four outings due to left ankle soreness.
Surprisingly, the Sixers are worse at home (12-10) compared to on the road (17-9) this season. They are (12-7) against non-conference teams. Against the spread, Philadelphia is at a relatively even (25-23).
Final Kings–Sixers prediction and pick
With the way Joel Embiid and the Sixers handled the Los Angeles Lakers on Thursday, it's easy to envision them doing the same to the Kings. Embiid is playing like a monster as of late. As noted above, he could have his way against a weak Kings interior defense.
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Final Kings–Sixers Prediction & Pick: Sixers: -10.5 (-110)
