Kings vs Lakers Picks and Predictions: Sacramento Tacks On to Los Angeles' Rough Start

The Sacramento Kings will visit the struggling Los Angeles Lakers on Friday night in a matchup between two teams trying to move up in the Western Conference standings.

Los Angeles has lost four straight and will have to play Friday without superstar LeBron James. Sacramento has won four of six to begin recovering from a slow start of its own to start the season.

L.A. hasn't been able to find a winning formula this season, and panic is beginning to set in for the Franchise. We’ll figure out if this is the night it can turn things around in our NBA betting picks and predictions for Kings vs. Lakers on November 11.

Kings vs Lakers best odds

Kings vs Lakers picks and predictions

The Lakers failed to make the playoffs last year, finishing 11th in the Western Conference with a record of 33-49. That muted expectations for this season somewhat, but their 2-9 record has still come as a shock to many fans and pundits. 

Everyone has a theory on what’s wrong in Los Angeles. Whether it is LeBron’s poor shooting, Anthony Davis’ inability to fit into the Lakers system, diminished production from Russell Westbrook, or an all-around lack of defense, there’s plenty of blame to go around.

Regardless of who you want to find fault with, the Lakers simply aren’t doing anything well to start the year. They aren’t scoring (28th in ppg), they aren’t stopping opposing teams (116.1 points allowed per game), they don’t shoot well from the field or beyond the arc, and they aren’t an especially good rebounding team.

Sacramento has hardly been great this year, but it is moving in the right direction for a franchise that has somehow failed to make the playoffs since 2006.

Point guard De’Aaron Fox has shown off an improved jumper and leads the Kings with 25.2 ppg. Domantas Sabonis leads Sacramento in both rebounds (10.4) and assists (6.1), while contributing 16.8 points per night. Offseason pickups Kevin Huerter (16.6 ppg) and Malik Monk (12.2 ppg) have also been key contributors in the early going.

The Kings aren’t playing much defense as of yet, though that has been a point of emphasis for new head coach Mike Brown. But while Sacramento continues to struggle at stopping opposing teams, it has become one of the better offensive units in the NBA.

The Kings are ninth in the league in overall scoring at 115.9 points per game, and are also ninth in offensive efficiency. They’re shooting the ball at 47.7%, and have solid balance, with six players averaging double digits.

This would already be a difficult matchup for the Lakers. Now, Los Angeles will have to play without James, who is out with an adductor strain suffered in Wednesday’s loss to the Los Angeles Clippers. No matter what you think of James’ play this season, there’s no doubt that the Lakers are a better team with the future Hall of Famer in the lineup.

Sacramento is the favorite in this matchup, but only by 3.5 points at most books. That’s a margin I’m comfortable with, as the Kings should be able to put this game away without any last-second drama. I’m laying the points with Sacramento, which has simply been the better team this season.

My best bet: Kings -3.5 (-107 at PointsBet)

Kings vs Lakers spread analysis

The Kings opened as two-point favorites in this matchup, but bettors have taken the line up to Sacramento -3.5 as of the time of this writing. While there were some sites that briefly moved that number even higher, the market seems to have settled on a 3.5-point spread — at least for the time being.

While Sacramento may have a losing record on the season, a couple of its losses have come on controversial calls late in games. That not only means that the Kings have been playing better than their record suggests, but has also allowed them to do well against the spread. Sacramento is 7-3 ATS this year, while the Lakers are just 2-9 ATS. 

As I noted above, Los Angeles will have to play without LeBron James on Friday. Last season, the Lakers went just 8-18 without James in the lineup, which should dismiss any ideas that the team is better without the 38-year-old on the floor.

While LeBron is the major injury issue for L.A. on Friday, it is banged up in general. Anthony Davis will likely play, but is suffering from lower back tightness. Meanwhile, Sacramento is fully healthy heading into tonight’s matchup. 

You can see my full analysis of the spread bet above, where I picked the Kings to cover tonight. That’s my best bet for the evening, as not only is Sacramento the better team, but also healthier and deeper. The Kings should walk out of Los Angeles with an important road win against the struggling Lakers.

Kings vs Lakers Over/Under analysis

The total for tonight’s game opened at 226, but has steadily risen upwards. Most sites are now offering 230 as their main Over/Under, with some going as high as 230.5.

Both teams have played somewhat towards the Under in the early going. The Under has hit six out of 10 times for the Kings, and six out of 11 for the Lakers so far this season.

It is interesting that the total has gone up on the news that James will be sitting out tonight. My suspicion is that bettors believe the Lakers can find ways to replace LeBron on the offensive end, with the likes of Davis and Westbrook simply taking a larger share of the load in his absence.

I’m still inclined to take the Under in this game. While Sacramento has a solid offense, the Lakers just aren’t scoring enough to expect the total to rise above 230 tonight. And while Los Angeles might make up some of the lost offensive production from James, I still think losing him hurts on both ends equally. This isn’t my favorite bet of the night but if the total stays at 230 or higher, I’d back the Under.

Kings vs Lakers betting trend to know

The Kings are 5-1 ATS in their last six road games. Find more NBA betting trends for Kings vs. Lakers.

Kings vs Lakers game info

Kings vs Lakers key injuries

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