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These are two teams that need to get it going! The Portland Trail Blazers host the Sacramento Kings on Sunday night. It's time to continue our NBA odds series with a Kings-Blazers prediction and pick.
The Kings are once again near the bottom of the West, where they have been for most of the last decade. They are 16-25 on the season but are just a half-game behind the Spurs for the 10th spot, which will give them a play-in opportunity if it holds. If the Kings beat the Blazers, and the Spurs lose to the Brooklyn Nets, then the kings will move into 10th. They are coming off of a loss to the Denver Nuggets last time out.
The Blazers are somehow playing worse than the Kings. They are 14-24 on the season which puts them 12th, right behind the Kings. They are coming off a loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers and are 3-7 in their last 10 games. Both CJ McCollum and Damien Lillard are out with injuries, so it could be a long road ahead for Portland. This is their third meeting of the season and the Kings won the last matchup.
Here are the Kings-Blazers NBA odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
NBA Odds: Kings-Blazers Odds
Sacramento Kings: -1 (-106)
Portland Trail Blazers: +1 (-114)
Over: 224 (-110)
Under: 224 (-110)
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Why The Kings Could Cover The Spread
The Kings have a good chance of covering this spread because of the abcenses to Lillard and McCollum. They need to defend well and force turnovers to give them extra opportunities to score. I don't think the Kings should have many problems scoring with the Portland lineup they will be facing. They have a chance to put up a ton of points in a game that doesn't have many implications. Sacramento can move into a playoff spot with a win and a Spurs loss, so that will be their momentum in this one. Obviously there are 40+ games left in the season, but knowing you are in the playoff contention is better than not. Sacramento is 17-24 against the spread this year and are also 3-7 in their last 10 games.
Why The Blazers Could Cover The Spread
The Blazers are being given a point here at home. It's going to take Norman Powell, Jusuf Nurkic, and Anfernee Simmons to led the pack. That is not a great core to win games, but it's the best they have at the moment. Those three are all haveing good seasons though, all averaging north of 13 points per game. It's tough to tell how long Lillard and McCollum will be out, so it's going to take a lot of great coaching to get them over this hump.
If they want to cover this spread against the Kings, they will need to step up at home and improve their defense. They need to force turnovers and create more oppertunies to score, similar to the Kings gameplan. It's going to be tough for the Blazers to score a lot of points, so they will need to win this game with their defense.
Final Kings-Blazers Prediction & Pick
This is a game where it is extremely difficult to pick an outcome. I think the safest bet here is to take the under at 224 because there will likely not be much scoring tonight. This has one of those feelings where it could be a low-scoring affair for both sides, because they are without the star power.
Final Kings-Blazers Prediction & Pick:
