The Los Angeles Lakers (21-60) and Sacramento Kings (28-53) will clash at the Staples Center to the regular season comes to a close. Action begins at 10:30 pm ET on Wednesday, Apr. 15 and can be seen on CSN-CA and TWC SN.
Clarkson has taken his game to another level over the last five games for the Lakers. During that stretch, he has averaged 21.6 points, 3.8 rebounds, 7.2 assists, 2.6 steals, and 1.4 three-pointers. Casspi has upped his play for the Kings. In the same five-game span, he is averaging 22.0 points, 6.2 rebounds, 3.8 assists, 0.6 steals, and 2.4 three-pointers.
The attacking Kings offense may see plenty of chances from the free throw line in this one. They rank first in the league at getting to the stripe (free throw attempt rate of 36.1), while Los Angeles gets whistled quite a bit (giving up a 27th-ranked free throw attempt rate of 30.8).
The Kings lead the season series against the Lakers two games to one, including a 102-92 win the last time these two teams met. Casspi was the game’s top overall scorer with 26 points.
The odds for Los Angeles and Sacramento are even, while the Over/Under (O/U) is currently unavailable. The Lakers come into this game 21-60 Straight Up (SU) and 38-40-3 Against The Spread (ATS). They are 2-13 SU and 5-9-1 ATS against divisional opponents. Not making mistakes with the ball is a staple of Los Angeles’s offense, which averages just 12.6 turnovers per game.
In the other locker room, the Kings have 28-53 SU and 32-46-3 ATS records. Against fellow division members, Sacramento has a 6-9 SU and a 7-8 ATS record. The Kings get to the line and convert their free throws at a high volume, leading the league with 1,807 made (22.3 per game).
In their previous meeting this season, Sacramento beat Los Angeles, but the win was not enough to overtake Los Angeles in the recent head-to-head series. Its record is now 4-6 SU over the last 10 meetings. Furthermore, the Lakers hold the advantage ATS with a record of 7-3. During their latest 10 matchups, neither team ever held the advantage in field goals, rebounds, and three-pointers.
Predictions: SU Winner – LAL, ATS Winner – LAL
Notes
Los Angeles puts up an average of 98.4 points per game (ranked 18th). Sacramento ranks 29th in points allowed per game with 105.1.
On average, Los Angeles scores 98.5 points per home game (ranked 21st). Sacramento ranks 29th in points allowed per road game with 108.0.
When giving up fewer than 100 points, the Los Angeles Lakers have a 13-14 record. When they don’t reach the century mark, the Sacramento Kings have an underachieving record of 5-29.
At 8-46, the Los Angeles Lakers have an abysmal record when their opponents score at least 100 points. The Sacramento Kings are 23-24 when they put up triple digits.
The Kings have a defensive rating of 106.1 (ranked 27th). The Lakers rank 24th for their offensive rating of 100.8.
With 97.7 possessions and 1.008 points per possession, the Los Angeles Lakers perform worse on both metrics than the Sacramento Kings. Sacramento averages 99.1 possessions and 1.020 points per possession.
The Los Angeles Lakers average an effective field goal percentage of 47.4% this season. The Sacramento Kings have an underachieving record of 8-48 when opponents have an EFF% of 47.4% or greater.
On average, the Los Angeles Lakers make 20.9 assists per game and the Sacramento Kings make 20.2. Los Angeles is ranked 20th, while Sacramento is ranked 27th.
Los Angeles makes an average of 4.4 blocks per game (ranked 22nd), while Sacramento makes 4.0 blocks per game (ranked 28th).
Los Angeles is ranked eighth in offensive rebounding. Sacramento ranks ninth in defensive rebounds.
The Los Angeles Lakers average 7.1 steals per game. When giving up 7 or more steals, the Sacramento Kings have a losing record (18-43) this season.
