Kings vs. Pelicans Picks & Predictions 2/5/23

Sacramento Kings (29-22 SU, 27-23-1 ATS) vs. New Orleans Pelicans (27-27 SU, 25-29-0 ATS)
When: Sunday, February 5th, 7:00 PM (ET)
Where: Smoothie King Center, LA, New Orleans
TV: NBCS

Point Spread: Sac +2/NO -2 (Did you know that you can bet on games at -105 odds instead of -110? Save huge  loot by making the switch to BAS Sportsbook!)
Total: 232.5
Money Line: Sacramento Kings +108/-132

Notable Injuries

Kings

• De’Aaron Fox (Out) Personal

Pelicans

• Jonas Valanciunas (Questionable) Knee
• Zion Williamson (Out) Hamstring
• Dyson Daniels (Out) Ankle
• EJ Liddell (Out) Knee

Recent Form

Heading into the game, Sacramento is 29-22 overall. When taking to the road, Sacramento has a mark of 13-11 and a win percentage of 54%. Currently, the team is 3rd in the Western Conference. So far, they are 27-23-1 vs. the spread. When looking at how the team has performed of late straight and vs. the spread, they are 2-3 in their past five games and 2-3 ATS. Over their past ten games, they are 6-4 SU and 5-5 ATS.

In their most recent matchup, the Pacers defeated Sacramento with a score of 107-104. Harrison Barnes scored the most points for the team with 23, but it was not enough to earn the win. The Kings were 1-point favorites going into the game.

Heading into the game, New Orleans is 27-27 overall. When playing at home, New Orleans has a mark of 18-9 and a win percentage of 67%. Currently, the team is 10th in the Western Conference. So far, they are 25-29-0 vs. the spread. In New Orleans’ last five games, the Pelicans have a straight-up record of 1-4 while going 1-4 in those games. Going back to the last 10, they are 1-9 and 3-7 ATS.

In their previous game, the New Orleans team emerged victorious against the Lakers, winning by a margin of 0 points as predicted. Brandon Ingram shone for the Pelicans, scoring 35 points on a shooting percentage of 53.6%. The Pelicans not only won the game but also successfully covered the spread.

The Historicals

In the 2021-2022 season, the Kings and Pelicans split the series, with each team going 2-2. This year, New Orleans will look to do a better job at home, as they also split their games at the Smoothie King Center. Similar to their season-long average, the Kings averaged 107.25 points per game vs. the Pelicans. Similar to the Kings, the Pelicans scored at a rate near the league average. In their games vs. Sacramento, the team averaged 114.0 points per game. In terms of betting, New Orleans has an ATS record of 3-2 in the previous five matchups vs. Sacramento. This mark has come on an average scoring margin of +7 points per game in favor of the Pelicans. In these contests, they averaged a combined 221 points per game, leading to an over-under mark of 2-3.

Analysis

This season, Sacramento is among the league leaders in scoring, averaging 119.2 points per game. So far, the Kings are also one of the more up-tempo teams in the league, sitting at 100.9 possessions per game. Sacramento’s offensive attack has benefited from some hot shooting from outside. Not only are they among the league leaders in 3-pointers attempted per game, but they are 10th in 3-point shooting percentage at 36.7%. The defense has been a rough spot for Sacramento, as they are currently allowing 115.77 points per game. The team’s 3-point shooting defense has been a problem this year. So far, opposing offenses have hit 37.05% of their looks from the outside.

A significant injury to take into account for today’s game is that De’Aaron Fox will be missing from Sacramento’s lineup, as reported on the injury report. Domantas Sabonis will need to assume the role of primary scorer for the team. This season, Sabonis has been averaging 18.8 points per game for the Kings.

This season, New Orleans is among the league leaders in scoring, averaging 115.1 points per game. So far, the Pelicans are also one of the more up-tempo teams in the league, sitting at 100.5 possessions per game. New Orleans comes into the game ranked just 28th in 3-point attempts per game. So far, they have connected on 35.4% of their shots from deep, which places them 25th in the NBA. On defense, the Pelicans allow an average of 110.28 points per game, placing them 13th in the league. So far, teams have shot 36.48% on their looks from outside vs. New Orleans. This figure places them 26th in 3-point shooting defense.

Heading into this matchup, New Orleans is in jeopardy of not having Jonas Valanciunas in the lineup as he is questionable. This season, he is the team’s second-leading scorer at 14.6 points per game. So far, CJ McCollum leads the team in scoring and is averaging 21.2 points per contest.

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Betting Trends

• The Kings are 6-2 ATS in their last eight games vs. a team with a losing straight-up record.
• The Kings are 22-8-1 ATS in their last 31 games playing on one day’s rest.
• The Pelicans are 4-1 ATS in their last 5 Sunday games.
• The Pelicans are 3-9 ATS in their last 12 home games vs. a team with a winning road record.

Joes Pick To Cover The Spread

I’m not a big fan of playing teams in the second game of a back-to-back, but the Pels are young, and the Kings are playing inconsistent basketball right now after putting together a nice six-game winning streak a couple of weeks ago. I also like that the public is hammering the Kings to the tune of 66%, and the line is holding strong, which tells us the bookies like their position on New Orleans at -2. It never hurts to be riding with the house! Bet your NBA picks for FREE this week by scoring a 100% real cash bonus up to $500 when you use promo code PREDICTEM at Betnow Sportsbook!