Sacramento Kings vs Oklahoma City Thunder Predictions Dec 28
Sacramento Kings vs Oklahoma City Thunder Betting Preview
WagerTalk NBA handicapper Tony Finn offers his Sacramento Kings vs Oklahoma City Thunder betting preview for Tuesday, December 28. At the time of posting, the Kings are holding steady as a 5.5-point home favorite over the visiting Thunder, with the total sitting at 224 points.
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| Tue, Dec 28 | NBA Betting Notes |
|---|---|
| Point Spread: | Sacramento Kings -5.5 vs Oklahoma City Thunder |
| Total: | 224 Points |
| Game Time: | 10:10pm ET / 7:10pm PT |
| Arena: | Golden 1 Center in Sacramento |
| TV: | NBC Sports California |
Sacramento Kings vs Oklahoma City Thunder Analysis
Oklahoma City Thunder (12-20, 13th in NBA – West) and Sacramento Kings (13-21, 12th in NBA – West) are in the Cali-Capital Tuesday night for a 10:00 pm ET contest between a pair of Western Conference franchises. The Kings enter tonight’s Association event riding a three-game losing streak. Oklahoma City arrives in Sacramento off a thundering strong win at home against the New Orleans Pelicans.
The Kings have been less-than when facing conference foes. Sacramento is 9-15 in conference play and was last seen taking a beatdown for the second time this season to the Memphis Grizzlies. Memphis defeated Sacramento in a 127-102 contest that was the second time in 10 days that the two squads have squared off.
The Thunder have been more competitive than the Kings in Western Conference play. OKC is 10-13 in events against the West, and in the team’s last meeting, the Thunder stormed to an 18-point comeback win over Kings. OKC defensive stalwart Luguentz Dort scored 22 points to help lead the Thunder to the win.
Dort, who has played a more balanced role this season, has been more than a defensive piece to the Thunder’s success. For example, Dort executed a steal and a layup in that November victory over the Kings. The Canadian native picked the pocket of Kings’ point guard De’Aaron Fox with seconds left to go in the game, finding the backboard or a routine layup that closed OKCs 18 point come-from-behind stunner.
“We’ve been getting there all year, but how we’re doing it right now is a little bit more balanced. I think. Lately, one thing we’ve done a much better job of is secondary playmaking and playing against close outs,” Thunder coach Daigneault told the media.
The Thunder have committed to playing small-ball but have been highly aggressive in their halfcourt offensive sets. Recently, the aggressive part of their offense has been attacking the rim with the guards. OKC coach Daigneault’s scheme is similar to that of the Memphis Grizzlies. As a result, Oklahoma City ranks seventh in the league in the percentage of total points generated at the rim.
The Kings are similar to the Thunder, and the Griz in points scored per game in the paint. Though Sacramento ranks in the top-10 percentage of points in the paint, they are wildly more inconsistent than the Thunder. For example, in that come-from-behind win by the Thunder in November, OKC outscored Sacramento 56 to 42 in paint points.
Alvin Gentry’s first game back on the Sacramento bench after a COVID-19 related absence resulted in the interim coaches’ feelings overflowing in the media presser following the loss to the Grizzlies. Sacramento was outscored 78-52 in the second half by Memphis on Sunday night when it lost 127-102. The Kings trailed by as many as 30 points, and Gentry was livid after the rout.
“It’s the most disappointed I’ve been in 34 years in the NBA, I can honestly say that,” said the 67-year-old Gentry, who is Sacramento’s interim coach. “That performance was absolutely ridiculous. We didn’t play hard; we didn’t compete. We didn’t guard the ball; we didn’t guard the screen and rolls. We didn’t follow the game plan—no competitiveness whatsoever.
“They toyed with us. I’m disappointed, and everybody in this building should be disappointed. “Gentry added.
Oklahoma City Thunder
- Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is scoring 22.4 points per game and averaging 4.8 rebounds for the Thunder. Dort is averaging 3.0 made 3-pointers over the last ten games for Oklahoma City.
- OKC is 6-4 straight up across their last ten games. The Thunder are averaging 104.5 points and allowing 106.5 points during that 10-game period.
- Thunder rookie Josh Giddey, like Wiggins, are beginning to understand the in and out of the league. Giddey led the Thunder in both rebounds and assists as he logged his sixth double-double of the season with ten rebounds and ten assists vs. New Orleans on Saturday night.
- Second-round draft pick Aaron Wiggins has taken advantage of his added court time with his teammates testing positive for COVID. Wiggins earned a career-best 24 points on 8-of-10 shooting in the win over the Pelicans.
Sacramento Kings
- Sacramento point guard De’Aaron Fox returned from a four-game absence due to COVID-19 protocols and had 12 points and five assists in 30 minutes of action in their loss to the Grizzlies. Fox committed seven turnovers in his first game back from COVID protocols.
- The backcourt of Fox and Buddy Hield is critical to all of the Kings’ success and failures. Hield averages 15.6 points per game while shooting 37.0% from a distance.
- De’Aaron Fox is the meat on the Kings’ bones. How Fox goes, so go the Kings. Fox is averaging 21 points and five assists over the past ten games for Sacramento.
- The Kings were without three of their roster players on Sunday because the league’s Health and Safety Protocols are expected to be short-handed again tonight vs. the visiting Thunder.
- The Kings are scuffling and own a 3-7 straight-up record across their last ten games. Sacramento averages 110.3 points while surrendering an average of 118.3 points per game during the 10-game span.
Sacramento Kings vs Oklahoma City Thunder Injury Report
OKC Thunder
F D. Bazley (health and safety protocols) has been ruled out.
G Tre Mann (health and safety protocols) is out.
F A. Pokusevski (health and safety protocols) is out.
F J. Robinson-Earl (health and safety protocols) is out.
Sacramento Kings
C Neemias Queta (health and safety protocols) is out.
C Alex Len (health and safety protocols) is out.
G Davion Mitchell (health and safety protocols) is out.
Sacramento Kings vs Oklahoma City Thunder Prediction
Sacramento has failed to earn wins and covers in three consecutive games. The players have been called out publically by their interim head coach Alvin Gentry and have lost seven of nine. The Kings are inside a six-game homestand, and all things equal, going backward rather than scratching and clawing to remain postseason relevant. The squad has started their current 6-game stand with losses to the Clippers and Grizzlies by 16 and 25 points.
Sacramento is a negative asset on their home floor with a record of just 7-11 at Golden 1 Center. The Thunder are a confident group that continues to be undervalued. OKC pours salt in the Sacramento wounds and issues a fourth straight loss. The WagerTalk pick to click backs the visiting dog and grabs the points.
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Sacramento Kings vs Oklahoma City Thunder Preview from GoldSheet
Alvin Gentry didn’t mince any words after his Kings were thrashed on Sunday by the Griz, Sacramento’s third-straight double-digit loss. Gentry was already in a bad mood after having had to miss the previous five games, but the Memphis loss (in which the Griz scored an astounding 78 points on 50 second-half possessions) put the capper on a three-game stretch in which the Kings were outscored by 56 points as the defense sinks closer to the basement it occupied in NBA stats last season.
Maybe Oklahoma City’s 29th-ranked offense will offer some relief, or maybe not, as the Thunder won as a short-priced dog at the Peake back on Nov. 12 when Lu Dort scored the late game-winner after picking the pocket of De’Arron Fox. Oklahoma City hits Golden 1 Center having won four of five, coinciding with removing Darius Bazley (now in health protocols) from the starting lineup, while SGA (26 ppg in the recent five games) continues to produce.
Oklahoma City also now playing top-half defense in the league, something nobody has accused the Kings of lately. The old “humiliation bounceback” might apply to the Kings tonight, but it didn’t help after either of their losses prior to the beatdown the Griz administered two nights ago.
NBA Stat Sheet
Each day, WagerTalk handicapper Ralph Michaels puts together his NBA Stat Sheet, which offers a head-to-head comparison for how teams are performing in a number of key areas heading into a game. Check out Tuesday’s sheet, with notes on tonight’s Sacramento Kings vs Oklahoma City Thunder contest.
NBA Tip-Off Show
Join Joe Raineri and a rotating panel of guests for the NBA Tip-Off Show at 4:15pm ET / 1:15pm PT as we discuss tonight’s marquee games. Stay up-to-date on the latest NBA news, stats, analysis, and predictions with our panel of professional handicappers as they preview tonight’s NBA action, including this Sacramento Kings vs Oklahoma City Thunder clash, from a betting perspective.
WagerTalk Live Odds Screen
WagerTalk’s live odds screen features up-to-the-minute lines from a variety of offshore and domestic sports books. Track the NBA point spreads, moneylines, first half lines and betting percentages for all of Tuesday’s NBA games, including this Sacramento Kings vs Oklahoma City Thunder showdown, from your desktop or phone.
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