The Oklahoma City Thunder make the trip to California to face the Sacramento Kings at the Golden 1 Center in downtown Sacramento.
The Oklahoma City Thunder are art 19-10 on the season and they have the third best record in the Western Conference. The Thunder are just one full game behind the Denver Nuggets who currently lead the West but OKC is looking for consistency right now as they have split their last six games overall and have won only half of their last eight road games played.
Russell Westbrook is averaging a triple double with 20.7 points, 10.7 rebounds and 10.0 assists per game this season. Paul George leads the Thunder with 24.9 points per game while also pulling down 7.8 rebounds and issuing 4.3 assists per game. Dennis Schroeder has fit in nicely with 16.6 points, 4.0 rebounds and 4.7 assists per game for his new team.
The Thunder are 13th in the league in scoring at 111.4 points per game. OKC is also just 21st in passing at 22.7 assists per game. But while they struggling on offense, the Thunder has been a standout on defense as they’ve allowed just 105.0 points per game which is 5th in the NBA. The Thunder also haul down 48.1 rebounds per game, 3rd best in the league.
The Sacramento Kings find themselves in the thick of the playoff fight with their 16-14 record. The Kings have won six out of their last nine games to pull within one spot of a Top 8 spot in the West. They will also attempt to win a series over the Thunder for the first time in 11 years.
Buddy Hield leads this young Kings team in scoring with 19.3 points per game. De’Aaron Fox leads the team with 7.3 assists and 1.5 steals per game while also scoring 17.9 points per outing. Willie Cauley Stein averages a team best 8.2 rebounds while scoring 13.8 points per game.
The Kings are the #4 scoring team in the league right now with their 115.4 points scoring average. Sacramento is likewise 6th in passing at 25.4 assists per game. However, the Kings rank just 28th in scoring defense after allowing opponents to score 116.4 points per game this season. They are also only 18th in rebounding at 44.2 rebounds per game collected.
These teams have played each other a total of 233 times during the regular season. The Thunder lead their all-time series 145-88 and have won five out of their last eight meetings. However, the Kings have won the last two, both played this season. Sacramento beat Oklahoma City 131-120 on October 21st in Oklahoma City and then the Kings beat the Thunder again, 117-113 last November 19th in Sacramento.
The Thunder are 3-2 SU in their last five games played and Oklahoma City is 7-7 SU in 14 road games played this season. The Kings are also 3-2 SU in their last five games played and Sacramento is 9-8 SU in 17 home games this season. Head to head, these teams have split their last 10 meetings overall.
This Sacramento team has beaten the same Thunder team already twice this season and the Kings have shown more improvement this season. But despite Sacramento’s progress, the Thunder still have the better team and OKC still has the two superstars who can take over games and win them.
Sacramento has yielded over 126 points per game in their last four games and that’s not going to work against a team with Westbrook and George in it. OKC’s scoring offense ranks only 13th in the NBA at 111.4 points per game but with George averaging 29 points in his last five games and Westbrook putting up two triple doubles in his last five outings, I’m not sure if the Sacramento defense can keep the OKC offense in check.
The Thunder have likewise played strong defense, giving up just 103 points per game in their last three outings while limiting opponents to just 33% three point shooting over that period. The Kings aren’t really an elite offensive team and the Thunder are going to shut them down. We’re picking the Oklahoma City Thunder to beat the Sacramento Kings on 12/19/18.
The Thunder are 16-13 ATS in 29 games played this season. Oklahoma City is 7-7 ATS in 14 road games played so far. The Kings are 19-10-1 ATS in 30 games this season. Sacramento is a solid 9-3-1 ATS in 13 home games played so far. Head to head, the Kings are 8-2 ATS in their last 10 games versus the Thunder.
The Thunder have played well against the better teams as they are 13-3 ATS in their last sixteen games against teams with winning records. The Thunder are also 7-3 ATS after an SU win of at least 10 points in their previous game. I see another big night for PG13 so I’ll put my money of the Thunder and the reasonable chalk. Prediction: Thunder -5
The under is 16-13 in Oklahoma City’s 29 games played this season. The total has gone under in 10 out of 14 road games played so far by the Thunder. The over is 20-10 in Sacramento’s 30 games played this season. The total has gone under in seven out of 13 home games played by the Kings so far. Head to head, the over is 6-4 in their last 10 meetings.
The over has hit in the previous two meetings between these teams. The over is sldo 6-2 in their last last seven games played in Sacramento. The over is 5-1 in Sacramento’s last six home games. OKC has elite defense but the Kings have scored at least 120 points in three of their last four games played. The over is a solid pick here. Prediction: Over 236
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