The Sacramento Kings will look to continue to light up the beam as they square off with the Portland Trail Blazers in the City of Roses. Join us for our NBA odds series to kick off the weekend where our Kings-Trail Blazers prediction and pick will be made.
Entering this Friday night clash as heavy favorites, the Sacramento Kings are already heading to the postseason for the first time in almost 20 years as they will attempt to continue down the path to victory.
Most recently, it was the Kings that absolutely clobbered the Trail Blazers by a score of 120-80 in part one of the two-game set on Wednesday. Winners in three of their last four, can Sacramento continue this kind of success heading into the playoffs?
Meanwhile, the Trail Blazers' playoff aspirations seem all for naught, as they are on currently on a four-game losing streak, having won just once in their previous 11 matchups overall.
While technically not quite eliminated from postseason play yet with six games left on the regular season slate, they are going to need major help down the stretch, as they cannot afford to lose any more games.
Here are the Kings-Trail Blazers NBA odds, courtesy of FanDuel
NBA Odds: Kings-Trail Blazers Odds
Sacramento Kings: -14 (-110)
Portland Trail Blazers: +14 (-110)
Over: 231 (-110)
Under: 231 (-110)
How To Watch Kings vs. Trail Blazers
TV: NBA League Pass
Stream: NBA League Pass
Time: 10:00 ET/7:00 PT
*Watch NBA games LIVE with fuboTV (click for a free trial)*
Why The Kings Could Cover The Spread
At first glance, being favored by 14 points surely seems like a lot in an NBA game, but the more research that is put into it, the more you begin to realize why this is the case.
The Kings will be facing off with the Blazers in the heart of Portland, but keep in mind that Sacramento is an impressive 23-14 while out on the road this season.
First things first, the biggest reason why the Kings will find a way to cover in this one will be because of an electrifying and high-octane offense that tends to inflict damage at a superb rate.
In fact, no team scores as much as the Kings do per game, as Sacramento averages 121 PPG, which is a full three points more than the next closest team.
Alas, very rarely do the Kings endure shooting slumps, so don't be surprised if Sacramento hits Portland with a barrage of three-point shooting- and even points in the paint by the time the final horn sounds.
While it will be largely expected that the Kings' offense should show no signs of wear and tear, the biggest difference-maker in this Friday night showdown will prove to be finding production outside of their starting lineup.
This includes a bench with a decent amount of depth players, such as Malik Monk dropping 19 points in reserve action to help give the Kings a victory over the Blazers on Wednesday night.
Without a doubt, Sacramento will need to find other scoring options outside of Fox and Sabonis.
Why The Trail Blazers Could Cover The Spread
Clearly, things could not be going more south for a Trail Blazers squad that had the expectations of at least clinching a playoff berth this season. Portland is now clinging to a Play-In Tournament spot by the hair on their chins with only a handful of games remaining.
While it seems like a long shot that Portland is going to end up finding themselves among the select few battling it out for the seventh and eighth-place spots out west, there are still reasons to believe that the Blazers can find a way to cover the spread.
With Lillard not suiting up for play the rest of the way and with Portland absolutely decimated with injuries, it will be up to some unlikely heroes to take control of this contest down the stretch.
Without a doubt, if Portland is going to cover as monumental underdogs, keep your eyes peeled on shooting guard Shaedon Sharpe to continue to put up shots in an attempt to lead the team in scoring.
After acting as the leading scorer in the blowout loss to the Kings with 30 points total, Sharpe will once again be the go-to guy for the understaffed Trail Blazers.
Even more importantly, Portland got absolutely abused defensively- most notably in the rebounding department on Wednesday- as the Blazers surrendered way too many second-chance opportunities and were taken advantage of down low all night long.
If they can't box out properly and fail to secure rebounds, then it is going to be a long night.
Final Kings-Trail Blazers Prediction & Pick
While it appears that the Blazers are waving the white flag on the season, expect them to come out focused on the small details to make this a game.
Final Kings-Trail Blazers Prediction & Pick: Trail Blazers +14 (-110)
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