The Sacramento Kings (24-32), who have the top scoring defense in the league, will challenge the Los Angeles Clippers (37-20) at Sleep Train Arena. The game gets underway at 10:00 pm ET on Friday, Feb. 26 and will air on PRI and CSA.
The Kings lost to the Spurs 108-92 on Wednesday. Rajon Rondo played well for Sacramento, recording seven points, 18 assists, and eight rebounds. The Clippers, meanwhile, are coming off an 87-81 loss to the Nuggets on Wednesday. Los Angeles still lost despite the best efforts of Chris Paul, who recorded his 25th double-double of the season with 17 points and 10 assists.
Over the last five games, Paul has upped his play for the Clippers. During that stretch, he has averaged 24.0 points, 5.0 rebounds, 11.0 assists, 2.2 steals, and 2.6 three-pointers.
When examining effective field goal percentage, the Clippers appear to have a noticeable advantage on the offensive side. They’re ranked fourth in the NBA in that category at 52.0%, while Sacramento’s suspect effective field goal percentage defense ranks only 27th as opponents are hitting 52.1%.
The Clippers lead the season series against the Kings two games to one, but dropped their most recent game, 110-103. Despite the loss, J.J. Redick was the game’s leading scorer with 22 points.
The Kings look to improve upon their records of 24-32 Straight Up (SU) and 25-30-1 Against The Spread (ATS). They have a record of 6-5 SU and 4-7 ATS when playing their division. Sacramento’s defense has put it all together in the past 10 games. Its average points allowed per game dropped to 99.0 during that span, compared to its 109.1 season average.
In the other locker room, the Clippers have 37-20 SU and 28-27-2 ATS records. In divisional games, Los Angeles has gone 5-7 SU and 6-6 ATS. Los Angeles is one of the top shooting teams in the league, making .462 of its shots from the floor. The Clippers rarely make costly errors handling the ball. They have the fourth-best assist-to-turnover ratio in the league at 1.77. The last 10 games have really brought the worst out of the Clippers on the defensive end. They allowed 114.6 points per game during that span, which is higher than their season average of 100.2.
Sacramento beat Los Angeles in their most recent meeting this season, but the win was not enough to overtake Los Angeles in the recent head-to-head series. Its record is now 2-8 SU over the most recent 10 meetings. The teams are even ATS, with a 5-5 record.
Predictions: SU Winner – LAC
Notes
The Sacramento Kings are among the highest-scoring squads, earning an average of 107.1 points per game (ranked third), while the Los Angeles Clippers are in the top half of NBA teams in points allowed with 100.2 (ranked seventh).
Los Angeles ranks seventh in points allowed per road game (101.6 PPG), while Sacramento ranks sixth in points per home game with 106.3.
Sacramento has a tremendous 9-3 record when it gives up under 100 points this season. Los Angeles is 7-9 when it scores under 100.
The Sacramento Kings have a subpar 15-29 record in games where they have allowed at least 100 points. The Los Angeles Clippers are 30-11 when they hit triple digits.
The Kings have an offensive rating of 103.6 (ranked 15th). The Clippers rank seventh for their defensive rating of 101.1.
Sacramento averages 103.3 possessions per game, scoring 1.036 points on each possession. While Los Angeles averages fewer possessions per game with 98.3, the team scores more points per possession with 1.066.
Sacramento is among the top-ranked teams based on its average effective field goal percentage of 50.9% (ranked eighth in the NBA). Los Angeles is an abysmal 3-12 when opponents have a similar or higher effective field goal percentage.
Sacramento ranks near the top of the league in assists at fourth (24.9 assists per game). Los Angeles is ranked ninth, with 22.7 assists per game.
Sacramento makes an average of 4.6 blocks per game (ranked 18th). Los Angeles ranks higher in blocks with 5.5 (ranked 10th).
Sacramento is ranked 13th in offensive rebounding. Los Angeles ranks 14th in defensive rebounds.
Making 8.7 steals per game, Sacramento is ranked sixth in the NBA. Los Angeles has a winning 18-10 record when it gives up at least 8 steals.
