The Sacramento Kings head to North Carolina on Thursday to take on the Charlotte Hornets at the latter’s Spectrum Center.
The Kings are on a roll right now and they take a three game winning streak to Charlotte. The Hornets are home for the first time in more than two weeks after a six game road trip that saw them win just twice.
The Sacramento Kings have been one of the surprises of the season. From a handful of teams that got off to a strong start, most have faded (like the Grizzlies and Pistons). However, the Kings have not and at 23-21, they are just half a game away from the 8th seed and 3.5 games away from third place. The reason behind this success is Sacramento’s young core maturing faster than expected.
Buddy Hield leads the Kings’ young cast with 20.1 points per game. However, it’s been the stellar play of second year point guard De’Aaron Fox that’s really pushed the Kings forward. Fox is averaging 17.9 points, 7.3 assists and 1.8 steals per game. Likewise, guard Bogdan Bogdanovic has provided added scoring punch with his 15.4 points per game.
Sacramento boasts of the 6th best scoring offense in the business right now at 114.7 points per game. However, the Kings have the 4th worst scoring defense in the league at 115.4 points per game allowed. Sacramento is ranked 8th in passing at 25.7 assists per game and they are also 18th off the glass at 44.8 rebounds per game.
The Charlotte Hornets have not played at home since January 2 as they went on a tough six game road trip. The Hornets went 2-4 SU on that six game swing and now find themselves three games below .500 at 20-23. Luckily for the Hornets, they play in the East and despite their recent decline, they are still in playoff position at 8th place.
On Thursday, the Hornets are relieved to be finally playing at home. They have a tough task though as they face the up and coming Sacramento Kings. Much of Charlotte’s success this season has been because of the stellar performance of Kemba Walker. Walker is having a career best season with 25.2 points per game. Jeremy Lamb is the Hornets’ next top scorer at 15.2 points per game while Malik Monk is third at 10.4 points per game.
Charlotte is the 10th best scoring team in the NBA at 112.0 points per game. The Hornets also rank 18th in passing at 23.8 assists per game and are 20th off the glass with 44.6 rebounds per contest. Charlotte is giving up an average of 111.8 points per game this season, giving them the 20th ranked scoring defense in the league.
Sacramento is 4-1 SU in their last four games played but are only 1-4 SU in their last five road games. Charlotte is 2-5 SU in their last seven games played but are 4-1 SU in their last five home games played. Head to head, the Hornets are 6-4 ATS in their last 10 meetings against the Kings.
Both these teams are battling for playoff position right now. The Kings are looking at the outside but aren’t far behind the Top 8. Meanwhile, the Hornets are in the 8th spot in their conference and hope to solidify their postseason bid by getting back on track after an ill-fated six game road trip. Coincidentally, the Kings start their own six game road swing with this game and they hope to start it on the right foot with a victory in North Carolina.
Sacramento’s success has been due to their explosive offense which has provided us with several thrilling fourth quarter performances and comebacks.The thing about the Kings’ offense is just it’s not just one person doing damage but their entire core has really developed this season. But what’s keeping Sacramento from moving to elite status is their defense or the lack thereof.
The Hornets meanwhile have relied heavily on Kemba Walker to deliver them victories. Walker is having a career scoring season but he isn’t getting the same kind of offensive support in Charlotte as Buddy Hield is getting in Sacramento. That said, while Sacramento’s defense may not be able to stop Walker, they can outscore the Hornets because they have more weapons than James Borrego. I think this is going to be a high scoring affair and the more balanced Kings are going to win on the road. We’re picking the Sacramento Kings to beat the Charlotte Hornets on 1/17/19.
The Kings are 5-1 ATS in their last six games played. Sacramento is 1-4 ATS in their last five games on the road. The Hornets are 2-5 ATS in their last 7 games played and 2-1 ATS in their last three home games. Head to head, the Kings are 5-2 ATS in their last seven home games against the Hornets.
Sacramento is 4-0 ATS in their last four games after allowing more than 100 points in their previous games. The Kings are also 5-1 ATS in their last five games after scoring more than 100 points in their previous game and they are also 5-1 ATS in their last six games overall. The Hornets are 0-4 ATS in their last four games after a straight up win, 0-5 ATS in their last five games after an ATS win and 1-6 ATS in their last seven games against the Pacific Division. The Kings have won five out of the last seven meetings in Charlotte. The Hornets are playing like they are falling from a cliff. I’ll take the plus points here. Prediction: Kings +3
Sacramento has seen the total go over in four of their last five games on the road. The over is 5-2 in the last seven meetings between these two teams and also over in four out of their last five meetings in Charlotte.
Sacramento has one of the top offenses in the league. The same can’t be said about their defense. The Hornets also have a Top 10 offense and a bottom 10 defense. With teams that won’t be able to stop the other from scoring, this one should be a high scoring affair, just like their four most previous meetings which by the way went over the total. Prediction: Over 230
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