The Sacramento Kings will visit the Atlanta Hawks on Wednesday night in their first encounter this season. Both teams are looking to snap the respective losing streaks, but only one can come away with a victory. With plenty of picks and markets to choose from, don’t waste your time and join the action at Get More Sports.
Sacramento Kings at Atlanta Hawks
Spread: Atlanta Hawks -3.5 (-110) at BetDSI Sportsbook
Total: Over/Under 205 points (-110)
The Kings are playing their third consecutive road game
The Sacramento Kings suffered two heavy losses on the Eastern Conference road trip to the New York Knicks and Washington Wizards, and are currently among the worst teams in the NBA with a 3-10 record. The Kings took an early lead in both of the previous two matches, but once again, the lack of quality and depth proved to be crucial in defeats.
The Kings won the opening quarter in Washington, 32:25, but in the end, the Wizards recorded a convincing 110:92 victory, winning all remaining periods. Sacramento was excellent from the perimeter (12-23), but they had even 16 rebounds fewer than the hosts (34-50), and just 19 assists in opposite to Washington’s 30. George Hill led the Kings with 16 points and four boards, Zach Randolph added 12 points and nine rebounds, while Buddy Hield contributed with 12 points and game-high three steals. Garrett Temple had 11 points and a couple of thefts, Skal Labissiere also scored 11, while De’Aaron Fox posted ten points and team-high five dimes. Dave Joerger still has problems with his starting lineup and is looking for the winning combination, but it is not an easy job for the coach as he had ten different players with 20+ minutes on this one. Joerger has to find the five players who will continuously play well, but with the current depth and lack of quality in the squad, it’s easier said than done. Hill wasn’t bad in Washington, but he is quite inconsistent so far in the season, so a matchup with Dennis Schroder should be the one to watch, as well as Bogdan Bogdanovic’s duel with Taurean Prince. Bogdanovic is likely the best shooter on this Sacramento team, but it seems that Joerger doesn’t trust him much, and it’s going to be interesting to see the Serbian performing in this encounter. Fox is a talented point guard, and he could be the spark off the bench, while the veteran Randolph should have a favorable matchup with Luke Babbitt.
Dave Joerger is only without Vince Carter who is dealing with stones in his kidneys, and there is no timetable for Carter’s return to the floor. Although there are no fresh injury-related concerns, Joerger is struggling to select starting five, but he could come up with the right solution in this tilt. The Kings are scoring 94.62 points per contest on average (29th in the NBA), while they are allowing 105.69 points in return (16th in the NBA). The three-point shooting is probably the Kings’ most prominent quality as they are the tenth in the league from the perimeter (37.32%).
Place: Philips Arena, Atlanta, Georgia
Date/Time: Wednesday, November 15th, 2017, 7:30 PM ET
TV Coverage: FOX SPORTS SOUTHEAST, NBCSCA
The Hawks are desperate to snap the four-game losing streak
The Atlanta Hawks return home after a three-game road trip, and they couldn’t ask for a better matchup to end the negative run as the Kings are also struggling at the moment. Atlanta lost the most recent game to the Pelicans in New Orleans in a quite unlucky manner as they failed to convert the final possession, which could bring them a victory.
The Pelicans won 106:105, despite the Hawks shooting 47.2% from beyond the arc (17-36), but Atlanta had six assists fewer than the hosts, and only one block in opposite to New Orleans’ five. Kent Bazemore led the Hawks with a season-high 22 points, game-high seven dishes, four rebounds, and three steals, while Tyler Cavanaugh scored a career-high 16 points along with six boards. Marco Belinelli added 14 points and game-high four thefts, John Collins contributed with 12 points and six rebounds, while Luke Babbitt chipped in with 12 points. The Hawks’ best player, Dennis Schroder, didn’t have the best of games as he hit just five out of 18 attempts from the field, including 0-4 from the perimeter, and I expect him to bounce back on Wednesday. The German point guard failed to impress in a previous couple of matches, combining for miserable 18 points, but he is averaging 19.8 ppg and should return to his usual against the Kings. Taurean Prince also had a bad night in the Big Easy, so he is also a player to watch for the hosts, while Bazemore and Belinelli should continue with their normal contribution to the offense. Atlanta has troubles under the rims, but it’s the same situation with Sacramento as they are among the worst teams in the league in that segment, so the team that wins the battle of the boards will have a decent chance to record a victory on this one.
Mike Budenholzer cannot count on DeAndre Bembry who is sidelined with a right wrist injury, but he participated in training and should be back in a couple of weeks. The center Mike Muscala missed the last four games due to an ankle issue and is listed as doubtful to face Sacramento on Wednesday, so Dewayne Dedmon and John Collins will continue to split time on the floor. Ersan Ilyasova was out for the last eight matches, but he recovered from a knee setback and is probable to feature here, as well as Belinelli and Malcolm Delaney. The Hawks are scoring 102.64 points per contest on average (23rd in the NBA), while they are allowing 110.43 points in return (26th in the NBA). Atlanta is among the top five teams (4th) in the league when it comes to three-point shooting (39.27%), and they are the fifth from the free-throw line (80.37%).
Sacramento Kings at Atlanta Hawks Trends & Prediction
The Kings are 4-8-1 against the spread (1-6-1 away), while they are 6-7 on over/under (4-4 away), and although predicting the winner of this clash is not easy at all, I expect to see plenty of points, over 100 on each end.
The Hawks are 6-7-1 against the spread (2-2 home), while they are 7-6-1 on over/under (3-1 home), and considering their offense; I believe we can see at last 210 points here. Atlanta scored 100+ in eight out of the previous ten games, and I think they can go to around 110 on Wednesday.
My Pick: Pass
Total: Over 205 points (-110)
