Raptors picks and props vs. Kings Jan. 5: Bet on Scottie Barnes to score and Toronto to cover

The Toronto Raptors begin the West Coast portion of their road trip tonight when they take on the Sacramento Kings.

The pregame narrative: Toronto is 2-0 with RJ Barrett and Immanuel Quickley in the lineup but is a 5-point road dog in Sacramento. Scottie Barnes is a good bet to clear a modest point total in a game that the Raptors are poised to cover.

See how we're betting on this game in our Raptors picks vs. the Kings for January 5.

NBA oddsas of 9:15 a.m. ET on 01/05/2024.

Raptors picks and props vs. Kings

Best Bet: Barnes over 20.5 points (-118)

Barnes has been remarkably consistent lately, scoring at least 20 points in 12 of his past 13 games.

He's gone over this mark in eight of those contests while shooting 51.6% from the field and an impressive 39.8% from deep. Tonight we're asking him to stay the course in what should be a tremendous matchup.

The Kings are a slightly below average 17th in defensive rating (115.1) but they struggle to contain opposing small forwards, ceding the eighth-most points per game to that position, according to Fantasy Pros.

And that's because Sacramento is dreadful at defending the mid-range.

The team allows opponents to shoot 45.2% from the mid-range (shots from four feet to the 3-point line), according to Cleaning the Glass. That is the seventh-worst mark in the NBA and is where Barnes makes his hay.

The third-year forward attempts 37% of his shots from the midrange which ranks in the 90th percentile of all NBA players. Barnes has also posted a career-high 3-point percentage (38.5%) and that's another area where the Kings struggle, as they allow opponents to cash in at the seventh-highest rate (36.9%).

Key stat: Barnes is averaging 23.1 points in his past 10 games.

Quick pick

Raptors +5.5 (-117): If you're looking for a sign of how Toronto's season has gone, head coach Darko Rajakovic promised the Raptors a pizza party if they strung together three wins. It hasn't happened yet but the team is in a good spot to get that done tonight.

Pizza is nice but we'll opt for a bit more safety by backing Toronto to cover a 5.5-point spread.

The Raptors have covered this number in five straight games and have looked good since adding Quickley and Barrett on Dec. 30.

Sacramento has only won by six-plus in two of its past six games and has a pair of uninspiring losses to the Charlotte Hornets and Portland Trail Blazers in that span.

Expect the new-look Raptors to stay hot on the West Coast.