It has been an uphill battle for the Oklahoma City Thunder thus far. The team failed to reach .500 for the first time this season when they suffered a huge setback against the Golden State Warriors on Monday. Their situation, however, isn’t as worse as that of the Sacramento Kings, who are fast sliding down the standings in the Western Conference.
In another intriguing showdown tonight, the Los Angeles Lakers and the Los Angeles Clippers square off in Staples Center. You can read a preview of that game here.
[sc:NBAArticles ]Oklahoma City Thunder vs. Sacramento Kings Betting Preview
Where: Sleep Train Arena, Sacramento
When: Wednesday, January 7, 2015, 10:00PM ET
Line: Oklahoma City Thunder (-7) at Sacramento Kings (+7); total: 210.5 – view all NBA lines
Betting on the Oklahoma City Thunder
Even Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook were no match for the Splash Brothers, as the Thunder fell to the Golden State Warriors on Monday, 117-91.
[sc:NBA240banner ]Oklahoma City, however, can pick up the pieces of that shattering loss against the Kings, who have taken quite a lot of beating from the Thunder for some time now.
The Thunder are 12-0 in their last 12 meetings with Sacramento dating back to 2012.
After scoring 44 points and 34 points since coming back from an ankle injury, Durant (24.5 PPG) went through a salty shooting night at Golden State, where he shot just 3-for-16 for just 14 points. His partner Westbrook (27.0 PPG) scored 22 points but went 5-for-21 from the field. That being said, both players combined for 58 points on 23-for-45 shooting in Oklahoma City’s 104-92 win over the Kings on December 16.
It hurt the Thunder that the duo received little help on offense in the Warriors game with only Steven Adams and Anthony Morrow scoring in double figures with 17 and 10 points, respectively.
Hopefully for the Thunder, new guy Dion Waiters will help address the team’s complementary scoring issues, and be an immediate impact player off the bench. The Thunder’s bench is putting up just 33.2 PPG. Waiters, who is coming over to the Thunder via a three-team trade, has averaged 10.5 PPG in 33 games in Cleveland uniform this season.
On defense, Oklahoma City’s vaunted rim protection will play a critical role tonight. The Thunder are among the tops in the NBA in blocks with 5.7 BPG, and they’ll be facing a Sacramento team that gets 45.5 points in the paint per game.
Will the Thunder send Sacramento reeling again? Create a betting account now and see if your prediction will mean good news to your bankroll.
Betting on the Sacramento Kings
Suffice it to say, the Kings have cooled off after opening the season like a house on fire. Sacramento have lost 11 of their last 15 games, including a 114-95 against the Detroit Pistons on Sunday.
Whether it was the firing of coach Mike Malone or the recent long absence of Demarcus Cousins to illness, the Kings sure have reasons why they are currently out of the playoff picture. For one, the teams’ defense has continued to be lethargic. The Kings are 27th in the NBA in defense, as their opponents average 104.4 PPG. They’re even worse over the last 15 games, allowing 108.1 PPG—the most in the league during that stretch.
Oklahoma City do have scary scoring threats in its lineup, and the Kings will have to play tighter defense if they expect to avoid losing thirteen straight games to the Thunder. One way to do it is to deny the passing lanes and force the Thunder into committing turnovers. Oklahoma is among the tops in turnovers with 15.6 errors per game. That means the Kings will get their opportunities in converting those into points. The Kings are 10th in fast break points with 14.3 per game.
Cousins leads the Kings in points (23.5 PPG) and rebounds (12.1 RPG). Cousins, though, had a hard time against the Thunder’s frontline in the first meeting on November 9, as he finished the game with only 16 points and seven boards. He should get help from Rudy Gay tonight. Gay has played well in two games against Oklahoma City this season, averaging 22.5 PPG and 8.0 RPG.
The over is 4-0 in the Kings’ last four games in Sleep Train Arena
Writer’s Prediction
Oklahoma City wins, 112-100.
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