The Sacramento Kings (24-49) meet the Boston Celtics (49-23) at Golden 1 Center. The game starts at 6 p.m. ET on Sunday, March 25, 2018, and will air on NBC Sports – California.
The Over/Under (O/U) for the game has been set at 200 points with Boston opening as a 6.5-point favorite.
Boston Celtics at Sacramento Kings Betting Prediction
In the Celtics’ last outing, they beat the Portland Trail Blazers, 105-100. Boston was successful at getting to and converting from the free throw line. The Celtics made 24 of their 26 free throws (92.3 percent), while the Trail Blazers were 12-15 (80.0 percent). Boston was led by Marcus Morris, who was the top scorer from either team with 30 points on 9-for-13 shooting.
The Kings defeated the Atlanta Hawks in their last game, 105-90. Sacramento’s rebounding was their biggest advantage. The Kings had more offensive rebounds (12 vs. six), defensive rebounds (39 vs. 34) and total rebounds (51 vs. 40). With 14 points and 11 rebounds, Sacramento’s Kosta Koufos put together a solid outing.
The ineffective offense of Sacramento (28th in the league with an offensive efficiency of 102.1) will go head-to-head against the top-notch defense of Boston (first in the NBA with a defensive efficiency of 101.9). The Celtics should have the edge on that side of the ball.
Boston heads into the contest with records of 49-23 straight up (SU) and 43-26-3 against the spread (ATS). Just over half of the Celtics’ games have finished over the total.
Meanwhile, Sacramento owns records of 24-49 SU and 35-35-3 ATS. A little over half of Kings games have also finished over the O/U total.
Both teams have had a player step their game up over their last five games. Terry Rozier (16.2 points, 6.2 rebounds and 5.4 assists) has been stellar for the Celtics while Buddy Hield (18.4 points, 5.2 rebounds and 4.0 assists) has made solid contributions to the Kings.
This will be the second game of the season between these two teams. In the first, Kyrie Irving scored a game-high 22 points and the Celtics defeated the Kings 113-86, covering as 11-point favorites. He also put up five assists. The game finished with a total of 199 points, which was just 4 points above the projected point total of 195 points. The Celtics had a much better offensive rebounding percentage (45.7 vs. 16.3) and had a better free throw rate (0.195 vs. 0.123).
Boston Celtics vs. Sacramento Kings Free Pick
Prediction: SU Winner – Celtics, ATS Winner – Kings, O/U – Under
Notes
Betting Notes:
On the road, Boston is 25-10 ATS with 17 overs, 17 unders and 1 push.
At home, Sacramento is 17-19 ATS with 19 overs and 17 unders.
When allowing below 100 points, Sacramento is 15-5 and Boston is 31-4.
When scoring over 100 points, the Kings are 17-20 and the Celtics are 37-10.
Boston ranks sixth in three pointers attempted per game (31.2) while Sacramento ranks 28th (23.8).
The Celtics rank eighth in rebounds per game (44.6) while the Kings rank 28th (40.8).
Boston ranks fourth in assists allowed per game (20.9) while Sacramento ranks 21st (24.0).
The Celtics rank fourth in fast break points allowed per game (10.3) while the Kings rank 20th (12.4).
Sacramento ranks 19th in points in the paint per game (43.7) while Boston ranks 28th (39.1).
The Kings rank 24th in points off turnovers per game (15.4) while the Celtics rank 26th (14.9).
Bettings Trends:
In their last five games, Boston is 4-1 ATS with 3 unders and 2 overs.
Sacramento is 4-1 ATS with 3 unders and 2 overs over their last five games.
The Celtics have been outscored by an average of 1.0 point in their last five games. On the season, Boston has defeated opponents by an average of 3.9 points.
During their last five games, the Kings have scored an average of 102.6 points per game (3.1 above their season average) and allowed an average of 102.2 points per game (4.6 below their season average).
*****
