Helping to close out tonight’s NBA Cup slate, the San Antonio Spurs will face off with the Sacramento Kings, with tipoff scheduled for 10:00 p.m. ET.
These two Western Conference opponents hold very different outlooks on the season. San Antonio is off to a 6-2 start to the year after winning the Western Conference last season. Sacramento has slipped to 1-7 to start the year after finishing tied for the worst record in the West last season. This is also the second matchup between the two sides this season, with the Spurs producing a 130-103 win on October 27th.
Looking at the odds for tonight’s matchup, the Spurs enter as 16.5-point favorites with -1180 Moneyline odds on DraftKings Sportsbook. The Kings hold +740 odds to pull off the outright win, with the game total set at 231.5 points.
Spurs vs. Kings Preview
The San Antonio Spurs are off to a 6-2 start and enter this matchup on a six-game winning streak. After dropping their opening two matchups against the Thunder and Rockets, San Antonio has ripped off victories over the Mavericks twice, the Kings, the Jazz twice, and the Timberwolves. On the season, the Spurs have gone 3-5 against the spread, and the game total has remained under in six of their eight games.
Victor Wembanyama headlines the production and has climbed atop the MVP frontrunner to start the season at +195 odds on DraftKings Sportsbook. Through the opening eight matchups, he is posting averages of 29.0 points, 12.4 rebounds, 3.1 assists, and 4.5 blocks. He is coming off a historic 52-point, 24-rebound, eight-block performance in the previous game. Dylan Harper has been plugged into the starting lineup in his second season, averaging 18.6 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 4.6 assists. De’Aaron Fox adds 15.1 points, 6.1 assists, and 4.3 rebounds, while Stephon Castle contributes 15.0 points, 6.1 rebounds, and 4.8 assists per game. Devin Vassell rounds out the starting lineup and is the lone other player averaging in double figures, while Julian Champagnie, Keldon Johnson, Harrison Barnes, and Luke Kornet also play key roles. Tobias Harris will remain sidelined for tonight’s matchup with his left calf injury.
San Antonio is scoring 116.9 points per game, ranking among the better offensive teams in the NBA. They also rank 11th in offensive rating, 18th in field goal percentage, and 24th in three-point percentage. Defensively, opponents are scoring 108.6 points per game against the Spurs. San Antonio also ranks fourth in defensive rating and third in opponents’ field goal percentage, establishing itself as one of the stronger defensive teams in the league.
The Sacramento Kings have fallen to 1-7 on the season. They opened the year with six consecutive losses before picking up their lone win over the Dallas Mavericks. The Kings have been defeated by the Clippers, Trail Blazers, Grizzlies, Spurs, Pelicans, Grizzlies, and Lakers. On the season, Sacramento has gone 2-6 against the spread, with the game total going 5-3 to the over.
Darius Acuff Jr. has been a major bright spot to start the year. The seventh-overall pick is leading the NBA in minutes at 37.3 per game and is posting averages of 25.6 points, 6.9 assists, and 3.8 rebounds per game. Zach LaVine is adding 23.1 points, 3.1 rebounds, and 2.6 assists per contest. Domantas Sabonis contributes 15.1 points and an NBA-leading 14.9 rebounds per game, along with 6.1 assists. Precious Achiuwa and De’Andre Hunter are also averaging double figures in scoring. Keegan Murray, Ben Simmons, Sean Pedulla, and Maxime Raynaud are each unavailable for tonight’s matchup.
The team metrics are not much more promising than the Kings’ raw record. Sacramento ranks near the bottom of the league in scoring with 109.3 points per game, while ranking 26th in offensive rating. They also rank 21st in team field goal percentage and 23rd in three-point percentage. Defensively, opponents are scoring 123.3 points per game against the Kings, one of the worst marks in the NBA. Sacramento also ranks 28th in defensive rating and 29th in opponents’ effective field goal percentage.
Spurs vs. Kings Pick, Best Bet
The Spurs cruised to a 130-103 victory in the first matchup between these two teams, covering the 18.5-point spread in the process. San Antonio led for 98% of the matchup, shooting 54% from the field and 46% from beyond the three-point arc. The Spurs scored 60 points in the paint, and the Kings had no answer for them defensively.
Expect more of the same tonight, with the gap in talent between these two rosters being more than the 16.5-point spread indicates. The change in home court does not matter much, especially with Sacramento being 1-2 against the spread at home so far this year. There is fair reason for optimism about the Kings’ offensive approach and some real talent on the roster from a scoring perspective. But Sacramento ranks 29th in opponents’ points allowed, 28th in defensive rating, and have given up 121 or more points in six of the eight games.
San Antonio is a high-level offensive team and still has not reached its peak on the defensive side of the ball. Led by the reigning Defensive Player of the Year in Wembanyama, the Spurs finished last season with the third-best defensive rating. They currently rank fourth in defensive rating and third in opponents’ field goal percentage, showing that this unit remains capable of being one of the best in the league.
While they have also shown some character in tight victories against strong opponents as well, the Spurs have proven capable of beating inferior opponents this season. San Antonio has already demonstrated its ability to dominate this Sacramento team, and the Kings have very little margin for error if they hope to keep this game competitive. Expect them to struggle to sustain a high level of play for the duration of the matchup. Count on the Spurs delivering a knockout punch and pushing this game into full-blown blowout territory to cover the 16.5-point spread.
Best Bet: San Antonio Spurs -16.5 (-116)
In addition I am backing Victor Wembanyama to record over 27.5 points as one of my top player prop bets on DraftKings Network.
It has been a loud MVP campaign for Victor Wembanyama to start the season. The San Antonio Spurs star is coming off a ridiculous 52-point, 24-rebound, and eight-block performance against the Mavericks in the previous game and will look to build on that against a far inferior opponent. Through his first eight games, Wembanyama is posting averages of 29.0 points, 12.4 rebounds, 3.1 assists, and 4.5 blocks per game. He has recorded more than 27.5 points in four of his past five games played.
This is a great chance to continue adding to the strong scoring stretch against a Kings team that looks to be on a clear path toward being among the league’s worst teams. Sacramento enters tonight with a 1-7 record and issues on both sides of the ball. They currently rank 29th in opponents’ points allowed, 28th in defensive rating, and 30th in opponents’ field goal percentage. There is no true matchup for Wembanyama on any NBA roster, but this is especially true for this Kings team.
The biggest threat to Wembanyama clearing this line is a blowout that cuts into his minutes. But it has been a focused effort by the two-time All-Star to play in attack mode, with him attempting 25.5 field goals per game across his past four contests after averaging just 18.3 through his opening four games. Count on him building off the 52-point outing on Wednesday and having a clear path to dominating on the interior against this vulnerable Kings defense, making this 27.5-point line far too low.
