Oklahoma City Thunder vs. Sacramento Kings Betting Preview

Oklahoma City Thunder (59-12 SU, 44-24 ATS) vs. Sacramento Kings (35-36 SU, 30-40 ATS)

When: Tuesday, March 25th, 10:00 PM (ET)

Where: Golden 1 Center, CA, Sacramento

TV: TNT

Point Spread: OKC -10/Sac +10

Total: 231

Money Line: Oklahoma City Thunder -452/+348

Notable Injuries

Thunder

• Chet Holmgren (Questionable) Hip
• Ousmane Dieng (Out) Calf
• Jalen Williams (Questionable) Hip
• Nikola Topić (Out) Knee
• Ajay Mitchell (Out) Toe
• Alex Ducas (Out) Quad

Kings

• Doug McDermott (Questionable) Elbow
• Malik Monk (Questionable) Illness
• Devin Carter (Questionable) Illness

At 10:00 ET, the Sacramento Kings will host the Oklahoma City Thunder in a Western Conference matchup. The Thunder (-452) are favored by 10 points over the Kings (+348), and the over/under line is set at 231.

Oklahoma City (59-12) has won six straight games and is 1st in the Western Conference. Sacramento (35-36) has lost three straight and is 9th in the West.

Recent Form

The Thunder improved to 59-12 this season with a 103-101 win over the Clippers on Sunday. OKC, favored by 1.5 points, covered the spread with the win. The game’s total of 204 points fell well short of the 227.5-point O/U line.

After falling behind 34-24 in the 1st quarter, the Thunder responded with a 15-0 run, taking the score from 36-26 to 51-36. They outscored the Clippers 33-17 in the 2nd quarter and held an 81-77 lead heading into the 4th, where they held on for the win.

The Kings dropped to 35-36 on the season after a 113-95 loss to the Celtics on Monday. Sacramento, who entered the game as +5 point underdogs, failed to cover the spread. The total score of 208 points fell short of the 224.5-point over/under line.

After a 10-0 run early in the game, the Kings couldn’t maintain momentum. They were outscored in each quarter, including 25-17 in the 4th, as the Celtics pulled away.

The Historicals

The ATS record across the previous five head-to-head meetings is 4-1 in favor of the Thunder. In these matchups, Oklahoma City has averaged 127 points per game while allowing 113. The over-under record in these same games is 4-1, with the teams combining for an average of 240 points per game.

Analysis

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led the Thunder with 26 points and eight assists in their 103-101 win over the Clippers despite shooting just 24.1% from the field. Oklahoma City shot 40.2% overall, hitting 12 threes at a 34.3% clip.

Aaron Wiggins added 19 points, with nine coming in the 2nd quarter and 7 in the 4th. Alex Caruso also scored 8 of his 14 points in the final period.

Despite a rough start, giving up 34 points in the 1st quarter, the Thunder’s defense tightened up, allowing just 17 points in the 2nd quarter. They held the Clippers to 26 points in the 3rd and 24 in the 4th, finishing with 101 points allowed in their win.

Oklahoma City limited LA to 42% shooting, including 30% from three, where the Clippers made just eight threes. The Thunder also recorded nine steals and eight blocks.

In their 113-95 loss to the Celtics, the Kings struggled from beyond the arc, hitting just eight threes on 33.3% shooting. DeMar DeRozan led Sacramento with 20 points and 10 assists despite shooting 37.5% from the field.

Domantas Sabonis contributed 16 points and 17 rebounds, shooting 60%, while Keon Ellis added 14 points, hitting two threes at 50%. Ellis scored 7 points in the 1st quarter, and DeRozan added 10 in the 3rd.

Defensively, the Kings gave up 113 points to the Celtics, who shot 45% from the field. Sacramento allowed 30 points in the 1st quarter and 32 in the 3rd but held Boston to 26 points in the 2nd and 25 in the 4th.

The Kings struggled to defend the three, with the Celtics hitting 19 threes at a 38% clip. Sacramento sent Boston to the line 20 times, where they made 12 free throws. On the boards, the Kings collected 37 defensive rebounds but allowed 10 offensive boards. They also recorded seven steals and one block.

Betting Trends

• The Thunder are 5-0 ATS in their last road games, and 5-0 straight-up.
• Sacramento has a 1-4 record in their last five home games. In this stretch, they averaged 110 points per game while allowing 115. The team also performed well vs the spread at 3-2.
• In their last three games as the betting underdog, the Kings have a straight-up record of 1-2 and an ATS mark of 1-2.
• As the betting favorite, the Thunder have an ATS record of 3-0 in their last three games. In these matchups, their straight-up record was 3-0.

Joe’s Pick To Cover The Spread

The Kings got Sabonis back yesterday, and he got right back to work, filling the stat sheet with 16 points and 17 rebounds, but the Kings were smoked by the Celtics on their home floor. Now, they have an even tougher test against a Thunder squad that has won 6-straight. Don’t be scared off by this big number, I still like the Thunder at -10.