Sacramento Kings vs. Portland Trail Blazers Prediction, Preview, and Odds

The NBA regular season is winding down, and the playoffs are right around the corner. But the action isn't done yet, and we've got a Western Conference showdown here on Wednesday night as the Portland Trail Blazers get ready to host the Sacramento Kings. Sacramento has been one of the best stories in the NBA this season, while Portland has been one of the biggest disappointments. Accordingly, oddsmakers have the Kings as a double-digit favorite here.

Kings can do it here

What a year it has been for the Sacramento Kings. They're about to end one of the longest playoff droughts in recent professional sports history, which tells you everything you need to know. The Kings haven't made the postseason in 16 years, but that's about to change as they can clinch their playoff spot with a win here.

Sacramento had the opportunity to clinch at home the other night, but they fell to a suddenly surging Minnesota team. Even with the loss to the T-Wolves, the Kings are still 13-5 in their last 18 games. De'Aaron Fox and Domantas Sabonis have both been having All-NBA caliber seasons, and they fleeced the Hawks for Kevin Huerter in a trade this offseason. Huerter is shooting 41 percent from deep this year on easily the highest volume of his career, and he's dropped at least 27 points in two of the team's past three games.

Next time someone says "the Kings don't have fans" or "why is there a team in Sacramento" send them this clip. pic.twitter.com/aKqSsYx9jA

— Matt George (@MattGeorgeSAC) December 31, 2022

Sacramento is going to have to wrap up their playoff berth on the road, and playing on the highway is something they've excelled at all year. The Kings are 22-14 on the road this season, which is actually slightly better than their record at home. They've won seven of their past eight on the road, with the most recent win coming by 14 against Washington. The last time these teams played each other was back on February 23rd, and the Kings beat the Blazers by 17.

Portland packing it up

To say the Portland Trail Blazers have been a disappointment would be a massive understatement. Expectations weren't exactly sky-high, but the results have been far worse than anticipated. Now with Damian Lillard being shut down for the rest of the season with a calf injury, it appears there's a very real chance Lillard has played his last game as a Trail Blazer.

A lot of things went wrong for it to get to this point, and Portland enters this one at just 32-43. Recently they made the decision to stop fighting for the play-in and to tank for a better draft pick. It now seems quite possible that they get a top-5 pick in this upcoming draft, and if they strike gold and land Victor Wembanyana then everything changes overnight. But right now they're in basketball purgatory without much to be optimistic about. The players have clearly received the message from the front office that winning isn't a priority right now, as they just lost by 34 to the Pelicans in their most recent game.

That was just a few nights after losing by 28 to Chicago. Six of their past seven defeats have come by at least 14 points, which is a sign of a truly dysfunctional team. Anfernee Simons is also being held out with a foot injury here, making things even bleaker for an offense that shot below 39 percent from the field their last time out.

Best Bets

Full-Game Side Bet

Rating:

I am laying the points with the Kings here. Six of Portland's last seven losses have come by at least 14 points, so when they lose they tend to lose big. The Trail Blazers have completely thrown in the towel on the season, and the players have clearly gotten the message from the front office. They just lost by 34 to the Pelicans in their most recent game, and shutting down Damian Lillard for the season this week was the official waving of the white flag. The Kings have the chance to clinch a postseason berth here, and they've been great on the road all year. Sacramento has won seven of their past eight road games, and they've got a better record on the road than at home this year.

Take the Kings.

Prediction: Kings -12

Full-Game Total Pick

Rating:

The under also makes a lot of sense in this spot. Without Damian Lillard Portland's offense falls off a cliff, and they are also going to be without Anfernee Simons here due to a foot injury. The Blazers scored only 90 points in their most recent game without both of those guys, and they've been held to 96 or fewer in two of their past three contests. The Kings aren't exactly known for their defense, but this total is too high given the state of this Portland offense. Sacramento's offense isn't fool-proof either, and they shot just 5/27 from beyond the arc their last time out. Kevin Knox, who is averaging 4.6 points per game since coming over at the deadline, got 32 minutes for Portland on Monday night (and shot 6/15 from the floor), which tells you everything you need to know about the state of their rotation.

Take the under.

Prediction: Under 235.5

Alex Porter is one of the premier minds in basketball and football handicapping. With a degree in statistics, Alex uses advanced metrics as well as copious amounts of film study to make his picks. Since starting his betting career at the age of 18, the recent college graduate has never had a losing football season. We are very glad to have Alex as a part of our team here at StatSalt.