A couple of California teams will face off against one another on Tuesday night as the Los Angeles Lakers (11-11) travel to the state capital in Sacramento to battle the Kings (8-13). Tip-off is scheduled for 10 P.M. EST at the Golden 1 Center in Sacramento, CA
Lakers at Kings Betting Preview
Sacramento Kings Preview: Can the Young Kings Lead Sacramento Once Again?
The Kings have plenty of youthful talent. De’Aaron Fox has continued to develop into a star with his 20.2 points, 5.6 assists, and 1.2 steals per game. The young point guard is firmly establishing himself as a franchise player in Sacramento.
Other young players who have impressed include center Richuan Holmes and guard Tyrese Haliburton. These three players figure to be building blocks for the future as the Kings look to develop a winner.
Buddy Hield is averaging over 17 points per game and is shooting 37.8 percent from beyond the arc. Sacramento is hopeful he can play as well as possible moving forward so he can be dealt at the trade deadline for a solid return.
While the Kings record is nothing to brag about, they rank in the top 10 in points scored in the NBA. While there are many other aspects about this team that could use cleaning up, the scoring ability is present.
Fox and Haliburton were excellent on Friday when the Kings took down LA. Fox nearly posted a double-double with 34 points and eight assists, while Haliburton contributed 19 points, nine assists, and six rebounds. Expect these young Kings to lead the team again if Sacramento hopes to defeat the Lakers for a second consecutive time.
Los Angeles Lakers Preview: Translate the Stats to Victories
The Lakers’ season has been inconsistent. While there have been several impressive individual performances and highlight-reel plays, the team chemistry has lacked.
LeBron averages over 25 points per game, Russell Westbrook averages 20.6 points and 8.7 assists per game, and Anthony Davis averages over 24 points per game. Despite these solid statistics, the team has failed to work as a unit.
The main concern is turnovers—the Lakers rank 27th in the league with 15.5 turnovers per game. But once again, much of that comes down to learning to play with each other.
Naturally, this is a team that can score at a high rate. LA ranks fifth in points per game, seven assists per game, and 10th in field goal percentage. They also rank in the top 10 in rebounds, steals, and blocked shots. But all of these eye-catching stats have not translated to consistent victories.
Los Angeles needs to take care of the ball. They cannot try and be overly fancy on their passes and dribbling. The Lakers need to take a step back and return to the fundamentals.
Perhaps, they can do just that against the Kings on Tuesday.
Who to Bet on
Most sports betting sites have the Lakers listed as 3-4 point favorites. There is no question that Los Angeles has the better roster on paper. However, the Kings arguably might be better as a complete team right now.
They work well together and rank in the top half of the NBA in turnovers. Nonetheless, the odds of Sacramento defeating the Lakers in back-to-back contests are not high. While I believe the Kings will make things difficult on the Lakers, LA should prevail in this game.
Take the Lakers -3.
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