The Boston Celtics host the Sacramento Kings in an interconference battle! It's time to continue our NBA odds series with a Kings-Celtics prediction and pick.
The Sacramento Kings are coming off a close loss to the Milwaukee Bucks last time out 133-127. The Kings almost won without star De'Aaron Fox who is out with an ankle injury. He is likely to miss this game against the Celtics as well. They are 18-30 on the season which puts them 14th in the Western Conference. The Celtics are 24-24 on the season which puts them in the 8-seed in the East. Boston is coming off of a blowout win over the Washington Wizards 116-87 and looks to keep their momentum going at home against the Kings.
Here are the Kings-Celtics NBA odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
NBA Odds: Kings-Celtics Odds
Sacramento Kings: +8 (-106)
Boston Celtics: -8 (-114)
Over: 220.5 (-110)
Under: 220.5 (-110)
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Why The Kings Could Cover The Spread
The Kings have a pretty good roster on paper and they actually have had that for a few years now. They just can not get over the hump and win games consistently. Sacramento has been irrelevant for the past decade if not longer and hasn't made the playoffs in that same span. This team constantly gets a high draft pick but it's not like they are choosing the wrong guy, they are just not putting it all together to create a dynasty. Fox is an elite guard who has elevated his game since joining the NBA. Marvin Bagley III is not at the level he should be, but is a former No. 2 overall pick. Tyrese Haliburton is on his way to becoming a superstar and of course, we can not forget about Harrison Barnes. Richaun Holmes is an improved big man as well so there is a bunch of talent on that roster. They need to really figure it out.
As for covering this spread against the Celtics, they need all those players to step up. Fox won't be playing so it will be on Haliburton and Barnes to take control of the backcourt. Jayson Tatum is coming off of a 50-piece so his offense will be tough to stop. They must contain him and Jaylen Brown and if they are able to do that, then they will have a chance to cover this spread. With the spread this big, they have a chance even if Tatum and Brown both play well, the Kings just need to match offense for offense.
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Why The Celtics Could Cover The Spread
Boston is coming off of one of their best performances of the season. Marcus Smart returned which helped their defensive efforts out tremendously. The former two-time All-NBA defender can defend any guard in the league, so he is a major part of their success. The Celtics will have an easier outing with Fox not playing for the Kings. So if they want to cover this spread, they need to defend Haliburton which has proven to be a tough task. Haliburton can score with the best of them and his defense is improving as well. He alongside Fox has formed a very good backcourt but they just need to put it all together.
The Celtics need Tatum to play consistently. That is questionable for me to say considering he just had his sixth 50-point game of his career. The problem is Tatum is not consistent as he has off nights more often than not. Brown is the same way as we have seen them go off for 20+ points and not even reach 15 points the following game. That can not continue to happen because the Celtics run through the two of them. If they aren't playing well then neither is the rest of the team. Both Tatum and Brown need to play extremely well if they want to cover this large spread. Boston is 15-10 at TD Garden and the Kings are 6-14 on the road.
Final Kings-Celtics Prediction & Pick
This is not an easy one to choose because of the spread being where it's at. Because the Kings played a tough and close game against the Bucks last time out, I'm taking them to cover this spread. Take the Kings even without Fox and hope that Tatum doesn't go off for 50 points in back-to-back games.
Final Kings-Celtics Prediction & Pick: Kings +8 (-106)
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