DraftKings Sportsbook<\/a>, while Sacramento sits as a +410 underdog. The game\u2019s total is set at 230.5 points.\u00a0<\/p>\nKings vs. 76ers Preview<\/p>\n
Sacramento Kings Preview<\/p>\n
Next Thursday\u2019s trade deadline looms large for the Kings, whose current roster construction has left fans with little to no optimism. They rank in the NBA\u2019s bottom three on both ends of the floor, while trailing only the Wizards for the worst net rating in the league.<\/p>\n
Sacramento has seemingly hit a wall behind its aging backcourt trio of Zach LaVine, Russell Westbrook (Out), and DeMar DeRozan, none of whom averages over 20 points per game. While Domantas Sabonis has provided a solid boost, the Kings have won just one game since his return from injury. Meanwhile, burgeoning forward Keegan Murray remains sidelined with an ankle injury.<\/p>\n
Sacramento has scored the NBA\u2019s third-fewest points per game, while ranking dead last in threes. On the other end, the Kings have allowed the fourth-most opponent points, while getting absolutely crushed inside.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The team\u2019s issues have \u2014 somehow \u2014 exacerbated outside of California\u2019s capital city. The Kings own a brutal 3\u201320 road record this season and haven\u2019t won a game in enemy territory since they beat the Heat on Dec. 6.<\/p>\n
Philadelphia 76ers Preview<\/p>\n
The 76ers have largely played in the middle of the pack this season, currently owning the NBA\u2019s 15th-ranked net rating. Still, momentum is mounting in the City of Brotherly Love.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Philadelphia is home to a budding superstar in Tyrese Maxey, who\u2019s averaging 29.2 points and 6.8 assists per game. He\u2019s flanked by third overall pick V.J. Edgecombe, who\u2019s shown a little bit of everything in a dazzling rookie campaign. Joel Embiid has remained dominant when healthy, while Paul George has occasionally flashed his former stardom \u2014 going off for 32 points, five rebounds, and five assists in Tuesday\u2019s win against Milwaukee.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Defensive inconsistency has driven the Sixers\u2019 recent struggles, as they\u2019ve allowed the NBA\u2019s most second-chance points since Jan. 11. However, Thursday\u2019s matchup offers a chance to reset for a defense that ranks sixth in steals and third in blocks.<\/p>\n
Kings vs. 76ers Pick, Best Bet<\/p>\n
Even at full strength, the Kings have struggled to compete with the league\u2019s mid- and top-tier teams, especially on the road. Without Murray, Westbrook, and potentially sharpshooter Malik Monk, they\u2019ll be even more exposed against a roster loaded with offensive weapons. Expect Maxey and the Sixers to carve up Sacramento\u2019s porous defense and stretch their lead beyond 12 points by the final whistle.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Best Bet: Philadelphia 76ers -11.5 (-112)<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Cooper Albers takes you through his preview, prediction and pick for Thursday\u2019s NBA matchup between the Sacramento Kings…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":155778,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[32],"tags":[121,123,122],"class_list":{"0":"post-155777","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-sacramento","8":"tag-sacramento","9":"tag-sacramento-headlines","10":"tag-sacramento-news"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/155777","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=155777"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/155777\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/155778"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=155777"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=155777"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=155777"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}