The Los Angeles Lakers are embarking on a seven-game road trip and will first be visiting Golden 1 Center to face the Sacramento Kings. With that said, it’s time to continue our NBA odds series and make a Lakers-Kings prediction and pick.

The Lakers are coming off a big loss against the Milwaukee Bucks on Wednesday marking the fifth loss in their last ten games as they sit in the fourth seed in the western conference with a record of 30-18.

The Kings on the other hand have won seven of their last ten games as this Sacramento squad sits just outside of the play-in tournament for the western conference in the eleventh seed with a record of 22-26.

Here’s how sportsbooks have set the opening Lakers-Kings odds.

NBA Odds: Lakers-Kings Odds

Los Angeles Lakers +4.5 (-110)

Sacramento Kings -4.5 (-110)

Over 223.5 Points (-110)

Under 223.5 Points(-110)

Why The Lakers Could Cover The Spread

In his first game suiting up for the Lakers, Andre Drummond suffered a toe injury that has taken him out of the game. Despite his at-best mediocre performance in that game on Wednesday against the Milwaukee Bucks, Drummond has a huge upside when paired alongside Anthony Davis and Lebron James which will be a nightmare for opponents.

Unfortunately, those three won't be playing for a while as they all deal with their respective injuries. That means currently the Lakers are without Drummond, Davis, and James as they begin their seven-game road trip.

This trip will be huge for Frank Vogel's squad as they have lost four of their last six games without their star players.

More than ever, the Lakers will need Kyle Kuzma, Dennis Schröder, and Montrezl Harrell to step it up on both ends of the floor. Currently, the three are all scoring in double digits but the main problem has been their inability to get the rest of the team involved on the offensive end of the floor.

Kentavious Caldwell-Pope has scored two points, four points, and seven points in just the last three matchups while playing over 25 minutes per game. Similarly with Alex Caruso, Markieff Morris, and Talen Horton-Tucker.

The Lakers will need to find more consistent production, especially on Friday against the Kings who hold the ninth-best offensive rating in the NBA scoring about 115.0 points per game as a team which is also the sixth most in the league.

There are two keys for the Lakers to cover the spread against this very hot Sacramento team on Friday. The first one is to slow down and contain DeAaron Fox who has been averaging 24.7 points per game and as of late has been on a scoring tear. The second for the Lakers will be for Kuzma, Schröder, and Harrell to step up offensively by not only scoring but to create open shots for their teammates to get them going.

Why The Kings Could Cover The Spread

Luke Walton has gotten his team to turn the corner winning seven of their last ten games with some huge wins against the Atlanta Hawks, San Antonio Spurs, and the Boston Celtics.

During that stretch, Fox was amazing for the team putting up 36 points, six assists, and four rebounds against the Cavaliers and 44 points, seven assists, and two rebounds against the Warriors.

In addition to Fox's offensive performance, the rest of the team for Walton has been solid offensively as they have five other players averaging double-digit points per game.

The problem for the Kings lies on the defensive end of the floor but fortunately for this Sacramento team, they will be facing a very empty-handed Lakers team who are without two of their key players in LeBron and Davis; as well as their recent pickup in Drummond.

The key for the Kings to cover the spread will be to limit the number of defensive slips they have whether that be not-so-smart fouls or leaving players on the Lakers team open for three-pointers.

Final Lakers-Kings Prediction & Pick

The Lakers surrounded LeBron and Davis with very great role players but no stars. Now that the team is without their star players, Vogel has no player that he can implore to help the team get a basket or to run the offense and find the open man. This is a problem especially against the ninth-best offensive-rated team in the NBA in the Kings. Regardless of the defensive prowess of both teams, the Lakers without LeBron and Davis do not have enough offensive power to match the Kings. For that reason alone, the Kings should be able to cruise to an easy victory inching closer to the play-in tournament in the western conference.

FINAL SCORE PREDICTION & PICK FOR LAKERS-KINGS: LAL 106, SAC 120 (SAC -4.5)