The Sacramento Kings travel to San Antonio to take on the Spurs in a game between two teams trying to get into the playoffs or get a spot in the play-in tournament. The Kings are on a roll right now and playing some of their best basketball of the year. Meanwhile, the Spurs have dropped four out of their last five assignments heading to this home contest. This is the first meeting between these two teams this season.
Sacramento Kings
The Sacramento Kings are 21-25 on the season and they are currently in 11th place in the Western Conference team standings, three games behind 8th place. The Kings have won six out of their last seven games played and they head to San Antonio with a four-game winning streak.
Sacramento defeated the Cleveland Cavaliers last Saturday night with Harrison Barnes nailing the game-winning three-pointer at the buzzer. Barnes scored 16 points and grabbed 11 rebounds for the Kings while De’Aaron Fox led the team with 36 points, including 20 in the final quarter. Tyrese Haliburton added 13 points while Buddy Hield and Richaun Holmes scored 10 apiece for Sacramento.
The Kings are the 6th highest-scoring team in the league at 115.1 points per game this season. Sacramento is 11th in passing at 25.9 assists per game and 27th in rebounding at 42.6 boards grabbed per contest. The Kings have the second-worst scoring defense in the league, allowing 119.0 points per game this campaign.
San Antonio Spurs
The San Antonio Spurs have a 23-20 record and they are the top team in the Southwest Division, one-half game ahead of the Dallas Mavericks. The Spurs are 7th in the current Western Conference team standings but are looking to move up to the Top 6, being just
3.5 games off 5th placed Denver. San Antonio heads to this game having ended a four-game losing streak in their last assignment.
San Antonio defeated Chicago 120-104 on Saturday night to return to the winner’s circle. Jakob Poeltl led the Spurs with 20 points while DeMar DeRozan added 17 points. Derrick White and Patty Mills each scored 16 points while Dejounte Murray and Keldon Johnson added 14 points apiece.
The Spurs are ranked 23rd in scoring at 109.2 points per game. They are 14th in rebounding at 44.0 boards grabbed per contest and are 17th in passing at 24.3 assists per game this season. San Antonio has the league’s 9th best scoring defense at 110.7 points per game allowed.
Who Wins?
Sacramento is 6-1 SU in their last seven games played. The Kings are 9-13 SU in 22 road games played this season. San Antonio is 1-4 SU in their last five games played. The Spurs are 11-13 SU in 25 home games played this season. Head to head, the Spurs have won 16 out of the last 20 meetings between these two teams. San Antonio is also 13-1 in their last 14 home games against Sacramento.
The Kings are 7-3 SU in their last 10 games and have been playing well despite the absence of Marvin Bagley. Buddy Hield is scoring 16.6 points per game this season while making 38.2% of his three-pointers. Richaun Holmes is scoring 17.8 points while shooting over 60% from the field in his last 10 games played. The Kings have been scoring 115points per game but conceding 112.7 points per game during their last 10 assignments
Please Note
Patty Mills has been making 2.7 three-pointers per game on a 39.4% accuracy from deep while Jakob Poeltl is averaging 9.4 points and 10.6 rebounds per game in his last 10 games played. San Antonio’s defense has allowed its opponents to score an average of 107.5 points per game while allowing them to shoot at a 45.6% clip. San Antonio is without Maqruese Chriss and Lonnie Walker IV.
The Spurs are just 12-16 against Western Conference while the Kings head to San Antonio with a four-game winning streak. San Antonio isn’t that good at home and they may not have enough firepower to keep up with the Kings. Defensively, the Kings allow too many points this season but as I said earlier, the Spurs aren’t an elite offensive team this season. I like Sacramento’s offense to help them pull off the upset.
Prediction: Sacramento Kings
Other Bets To Make
The Kings are 5-2 ATS in their last seven games played. Sacramento is 4-1 ATS in their last five games when playing on one day rest, 6-2 ATS in their last eight games against an opponent with a losing road record, 5-2 ATS when scoring at least 100 points in their previous game, and 5-2 ATS in their last seven games when their opponent allows 100 or more points in their previous game. The Spurs are 1-3 ATS in their last four games played. San Antonio is 11-13 ATS in 24 home games played this season, 1-4 ATS in their last five games against opponents from the Pacific Division, and 12-27 ATS in their last 39 games as home favorites. Head to head, the Kings are 6-1 ATS in their last seven games played against the Spurs and 9-4 ATS in their last 13 meetings in San Antonio.
Kings
+2.5 (-105)
Spurs
-2.5 (-115)
Odds from BetOnline as of 03/29/2021
These two teams match well against each other although it’s Sacramento who has momentum. The Kings also have the better starting unit although the Spurs have the deeper team. However, the Kings are a much better offensive team than the Spurs, who are more known as a defensive team this season. Fox is always a threat to be a 30 point scorer and if Hield and Barnes will have good games here, I think that the Kings’ offense will outscore the Spurs team. I’ll take the plus points.
Prediction: Kings +2.5
The total has gone under in seven out of the last 10 games played by the Kings. Sacramento has seen the total go under in six out of their last 10 road games. The under is also 7-0 in their last seven games when playing on one-day rest, 4-1 in their last five games as a road underdog, and 8-2 in their last ten games when scoring 100 or more points in their previous game. The total has gone under in 8 out of the last 12 games played by the Spurs. The under is also 9-1 in their last 10 games against the Western Conference, 5-2 in their last seven games as betting favorites, 5-1 in their last six games as home favorites, and 10-1 in their last 11 games against an opponent with a losing road record. Head to head, the over is 6-4 in their last 10 meetings.
Over
228 (-110)
Under
228 (-110)
Odds from BetOnline as of 03/29/2021
These teams have combined to average 215.1 points per game in their last 10 meetings. The Kings ranks 6th in scoring and next to last in defense but they have scored 110 or fewer points in four out of their last six games while allowing 108 or fewer points in four of those games. The Spurs meanwhile are in the bottom 10 in scoring and the Top 10 in scoring defense. Look for San Antonio to dictate the pace of this game.
Prediction: Under 228