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The Portland Trail Blazers take on the Sacramento Kings in their NBA season opener. Check out our NBA odds series, which includes our Trail Blazers-Kings prediction and pick.
The Portland Trail Blazers seem to be stuck in limbo entering this season. Damian Lillard is still in the Pacific Northwest, and he is still stuck on a roster which is headed nowhere, at least if “headed nowhere” is defined as “having zero chance of winning an NBA playoff series this season.” The Blazers could sneak into the play-in round and maybe win a game, but in the loaded Western Conference, with the Warriors, Clippers, Suns, Timberwolves, Nuggets, Mavericks, and Grizzlies, the Blazers are clearly not in the same weight class as those superior ballclubs. Lillard will be brilliant, but he has clearly not received the high-end help which would meaningfully change his outlook and the long-term prospects for the Blazers. It raises the question: Will this be the season which unleashes and provokes major changes in the Blazer organization, or is this franchise simply not concerned with its aimless, drifting identity in the current NBA?
The Sacramento Kings have what appears to be a better roster. Now that the Seattle Mariners have made the MLB playoffs, snapping the longest playoff drought in North American professional team sports at 21 seasons, the Kings — at 16 seasons — own the longest playoff drought in North America. They could legitimately make a run at the play-in round in the West, given the addition of Domantas Sabonis in a trade with the Indiana Pacers. Second-year player Davion Mitchell — who impressed as a rookie last season — and new top draft pick Keegan Murray offer the hope that Sacramento can develop its bench and create a deeper rotation which will enable the Kings to remain robustly competitive throughout a whole season. There is usually a point in the season when the Kings falter. Cultivating quality depth is such an important part of avoiding that big slump which roasts another Sacramento season and prolongs the franchise's playoff drought. Richaun Holmes as a bench big man and Malik Monk as a backup to Kevin Huerter at shooting guard give the Kings more pieces to work with compared to past years. Yes, Tyrese Haliburton is gone, and that's something the Kings might soon regret, but the frontcourt depth is better than it has been. Maybe this is the formula which makes Sacramento an improved team this season.
Here are the Trail Blazers-Kings NBA odds, courtesy of FanDuel
NBA Odds: Trail Blazers-Kings Odds
Portland Trail Blazers: +3 (-112)
Sacramento Kings: -3 (-108)
Over: 229 (-110)
Under: 229 (-110)
Why The Trail Blazers Could Cover The Spread
Portland has Dame, and Sacramento does not have Tyrese Haliburton. That's the best pair of reasons to go with Portland in this matchup. One could also simply say that trusting the Sacramento Kings with a betting pick is rarely something a bettor should seek to do. Having a healthy Jusuf Nurkic is another reason to believe that Portland can win; the Blazers' frontcourt can certainly compete with the Kings' bigs and at least fight to a draw, enabling Dame to be the difference for the Blazers.
Why The Kings Could Cover The Spread
Portland might have the best player on the court — Lillard — but Sacramento has better 1-through-10 depth and quality in its rotation. The Kings beat the Blazers in last year's NBA season opener, and they did so in Portland. This game is in Sacramento before a jazzed-up crowd. The Kings have every reason to think they can beat Portland again.
Final Trail Blazers-Kings Prediction & Pick
If you want to trust your money on either the Blazers or the Kings, especially in a season opener, you should reconsider. This is a stay-away game. If you insist on making a pick, the Kings are the slightly better choice.
Final Trail Blazers-Kings Prediction & Pick: Kings -3
