On Saturday’s slate, the Kings are headed to Houston to take on the Rockets in what should be an entertaining Western Conference showdown. The Rockets are currently No. 5 in the conference as they welcome back starting point guard Fred VanVleet from an extended absence. The Kings are hanging on to No. 10 and the final Play-In Tournament spot but overhauled their roster at the trade deadline and have won five of their last seven games. In this matchup of two teams with playoff aspirations, let’s take a look at my top three Rockets vs. Kings prop bets from the player prop market on DraftKings Sportsbook.
The Rockets are 5-point home favorites on DraftKings Sportsbook in this matchup, which has a point total of 231. Neither team is on either half of a back-to-back, and both have fairly clean injury reports. The Rockets will be rolling out a new lineup, though, since VanVleet will be playing for the first time in a month. Coach Ime Udoka said Amen Thompson will stay in the lineup alongside FVV with Jabari Smith Jr. shifting to a bench role.
Best Prop Bets for Rockets vs. Kings on DraftKings Sportsbook
Zach LaVine over 21.5 points (-110)
LaVine is a volatile scorer, so this isn’t a lock, but he has been playing well for the Kings and getting plenty of chances since coming over from the Bulls. Overall on the season, he has gone over this line 61% of the time, including in four of his last five games.
LaVine went off for 42 points against the Hornets on Monday, shooting a scalding 16-of-19 from the field and knocking down eight three-pointers. He cooled off a little but still had 22 points on 50% shooting against the Jazz on Wednesday.
He has gone over this line in six of nine games since joining the Kings and has made multiple threes in five straight contests.
Keegan Murray 3+ three-pointers (+165)
LaVine’s new teammate Keegan Murray has also been heating up from long distance. You could play him at over 1.5 three-pointers at -166, but I love taking the extra juice and getting him to hit that one extra shot to make this a big-time plus-money prop.
Murray made three three-pointers in each of his two games earlier this season against the Rockets, scoring 18 and 13 points in the Kings’ two victories.
Both of those games came before the Kings’ deadline overhaul, but Murray has stayed very involved in the new lineup. He has made at least three three-pointers in three of his last four games, including draining five threes in his most recent game on Wednesday in Utah.
Amen Thompson over 1.5 blocks (+120)
With VanVleet back in the lineup, Thompson’s role will definitely shift, but the breakout star continues to have plenty to contribute. His offensive props are still strong plays, but I actually found my favorite Thompson play for Saturday on the other end of the floor.
Thompson averaged 1.3 blocks per game this season, but he has been taking advantage of his extra minutes lately and piling up more defensive numbers. He has multiple blocks in five of his last six games. VanVleet’s return to take more of the load on the offensive end could allow Thompson to focus even more on defense, and I think he’ll be able to find a couple of block opportunities on Saturday against Sacramento.
Bonus Pick: Fred VanVleet under 13.5 Points (-120)
VanVleet has been out for a full month, so it’s likely he won’t get a full workload on Saturday. The Rockets have been cautious about rushing him back, but still, after missing a full month of game action, he could be dealing with some rust and a minutes limitation.
Even in his typical, full-strength games, this has been a toss-up prop, since he has scored 13 points or fewer in 49% of his games. He played 38 minutes in his only game against the Kings this season and still stayed under this line.
With the Rockets playing pretty well, they have the luxury of being able to ease him back in and let him be a creator instead of a primary scorer. He definitely has the ability to go over this prop, but especially in his first game back, I think it’s more likely that he goes under this line on Saturday, which makes this one of my favorite Rockets vs. Kings prop bets.
