NBA Odds: Kings (even)
The Sacramento Kings welcome the Portland Trail Blazers to Sleep Train Arena. Action begins at 6:00 pm ET on Sunday, Mar. 1 and can be seen on CSN-NW and CSN-CA.
The Kings are are expecting a better outcome after their 107-96 loss to the Spurs on Friday. Ben McLemore was the game’s leading scorer with 21 points. The Trail Blazers, meanwhile, are coming off a 115-112 win against the Thunder on Friday. LaMarcus Aldridge claimed his 29th double-double of the season with 29 points and 16 rebounds.
Keep tabs on Sacramento’s ability to get to the free throw line. They’re ranked first in the NBA in free throw attempt rate (36.7), but Portland is among the best in the league at keeping opponents away from the charity stripe (ranking fourth by yielding a free throw attempt rate of 24.3).
Both teams have won a game in the season series. The Trail Blazers had the upper hand in the most recent game, a 98-94 win. Damian Lillard had a stellar game with 22 points, six rebounds, five assists, three steals, and two three-pointers.
The odds for Sacramento and Portland are even, while the Over/Under (O/U) is currently not available. The Kings come into this game 20-35-1 Straight Up (SU) and 23-30-2 Against The Spread (ATS). They are 14-22-1 SU and 18-17-1 ATS against the Western Conference. The Kings have seen an decline in scoring as of late, averaging 84.8 points during the last 10 games compared to their season average of 100.1 points per game. The rebounding edge goes to the Kings in this matchup, who are one of the top rebounding teams in the league with an average of 45.1 boards per game. Sacramento’s defense has put it all together in the past 10 games. Its average points allowed per game dropped to 93.9 during that span, compared to its 104.3 season average. Teams usually don’t get many offensive rebounds against the Kings, who are one of the top defensive rebounding teams in the league with an average of 34.0 defensive rebounds per game.
In the other locker room, the Trail Blazers have a record of 28-28-1 ATS and 38-19 SU. Against the Western Conference, Portland is 20-13 SU and 16-16-1 ATS. The Trail Blazers convert their free throws at a high percentage, leading the league at .799. The Trail Blazers are a problem for teams on the defensive side, allowing only .433 shooting from the field to their opponents.
The Trail Blazers’ win over Sacramento in their last clash bumped their SU record over the last 10 meetings to 6-4. With a 6-4 record, the Kings have the advantage ATS. Portland held the advantage in field goals, rebounds, and three-pointers once in the last 10 matchups. On the other side of the court, Sacramento never accomplished this feat in that span.
Predictions: SU Winner – POR, ATS Winner – POR
Notes
The total has gone UNDER in 8 of Sacramento’s last 12 games.
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Sacramento’s last 5 games.
Sacramento is 4-15 SU in its last 19 games.
Sacramento is 5-10 ATS in its last 15 games.
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Sacramento’s last 6 games at home.
Sacramento is 3-7 SU in its last 10 games at home.
Sacramento is 8-16-1 ATS in its last 25 games at home.
Sacramento is 2-5 SU in its last 7 games when playing Portland.
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Sacramento’s last 6 games when playing Portland.
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Sacramento’s last 7 games when playing at home against Portland.
Sacramento is 4-8 ATS in its last 12 games when playing at home against Portland.
Portland ranks ninth in points per game with 102.3, while Sacramento ranks 27th in points allowed with an average of 104.3 given up.
Sacramento ranks 27th in points allowed per home game (102.3 PPG), while Portland ranks eighth in points per away game with 102.3.
In games where they allow fewer than 100 points, the Sacramento Kings are a winning 11-6. In games where they fail to hit triple digits, the Portland Trail Blazers have a poor record of 8-14.
When allowing 100 or more points in a game, the Kings are just 9-30 this season. Portland is a fantastic 30-5 when it reaches the century mark.
The Kings have an offensive rating of 101.1 (ranked 20th). The Trail Blazers rank fourth for their defensive rating of 99.6.
Sacramento averages 99.0 possessions per game, scoring 1.011 points on each possession. While Portland averages fewer possessions per game with 97.8, the team scores more points per possession with 1.046.
Portland has an average effective field goal percentage of 50.2%. Sacramento is an underachieving 2-23 when opponents have a similar or higher effective field goal percentage.
On average, Sacramento attempts 15.7 three pointers and Portland attempts 27.8 per game. In games where the teams have 25 or more three point attempts, the Kings are even at 1-1 while the Trail Blazers have a solid 28-16 record.
The Sacramento Kings rank 29th with an assist to turnover ratio of 1.22. The Portland Trail Blazers have a higher A/TO (1.66), ranking 11th.
The Kings are among the top NBA teams when it comes to rebounding, ranking fifth with 45.1 per game. On the other side, the Trail Blazers also rebound at a high rate, with a rank of third (45.7 per game).
The Portland Trail Blazers rank 17th in offensive rebounding, while the Sacramento Kings rank fifth in defensive rebounding.
The Kings’ opponents have had an average turnover percentage of 12.0% this season. The Portland Trail Blazers have a solid 24-13 record when their TOV% is 12.0% or higher.
