Sacramento Kings Vs. San Antonio Spurs: Predictions, Starting Lineups (11/17/23)
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Two teams with contrasting momentum face off when the Sacramento Kings travel to San Antonio for a conference battle with the Spurs. Take a look at our matchup preview, best bets, predictions, and betting odds for the Kings vs. Spurs game below!
Sacramento Kings Vs. San Antonio Spurs Prediction
The last time the San Antonio Spurs took the court, they lost by 36 points to the Oklahoma City Thunder, shooting just 38% from the floor and 30% from deep. Further, they turned the ball over an eye-popping 24 times and were outscored by 22 points in the paint, despite having plenty of frontcourt size.
Will the Spurs suffer another beatdown at the hands of a surging Kings team that has won four consecutive games?
The short answer is yes. After a strong start to the 2023-24 campaign, San Antonio has since dropped six-straight games by an average of roughly 20 points per game. Victor Wembanyama has also struggled recently after a hot start; he has posted 16 points per game on a 37/25/81 shooting split in his past five games.
Further, San Antonio has a -19.1 net rating in its past six games, which is more than ten points worse than the next team: Detroit. The Pistons are 2-10, so that is not the kind of company you want to be in. Meanwhile, Sacramento has the fourth-highest net rating in the NBA in its past four games.
The Spurs’ recent struggles came with Devin Vassell, their second-best player, in the lineup; he has a shooting split of 50/43/73 this season, which is bordering on elite, except for his free-throw percentage. Without Vassell, the Spurs are going to flounder even more. Sacramento ATS is a no-brainer here.
Sacramento Kings Vs. San Antonio Spurs Prediction: Kings -8.5 (-108)
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Sacramento Kings Vs. San Antonio Spurs Best Odds
San Antonio enters this matchup against Sacramento as 8.5-point home dogs. The Spurs hold moneyline odds of +270, while the Kings (-340) are heavy road favorites against this struggling San Antonio squad. The point total rests around 238 points before tip-off, with the Over and Under each holding -110 odds.
Sacramento Kings Starting Lineup
PG: De’Aaron Fox
SG: Kevin Huerter
SF: Harrison Barnes
PF: Keegan Murray
C: Domantas Sabonis
San Antonio Spurs Starting Lineup
PG: Jeremy Sochan
SG: Malaki Branham
SF: Julian Champagnie
PF: Victor Wembanyama
C: Zach Collins
Sacramento Kings Vs. San Antonio Spurs Injuries
Now that De’Aaron Fox has returned for Sacramento, its injury report is a bit lighter; the Kings will only be without Alex Len and Trey Lyles. However, Lyles and Len play crucial bench roles for Sacramento, so they will be missed.
Meanwhile, San Antonio will be without guards Tre Jones and Devin Vassell. Vassell is the second-leading scorer for the Spurs, so they will have to find offense from other players like Keldon Johnson, Zach Collins, Jeremy Sochan, and Victor Wembanyama.
Sacramento Kings Vs. San Antonio Spurs Key Matchups
The key matchup for this bout between Sacramento and San Antonio belongs to Domantas Sabonis and the Spurs’ Frontcourt. See below if Sabonis can keep up his hot streak or if the Spurs will use their length and size to disrupt him!
Sabonis vs. Spurs Frontcourt
Domantas Sabonis had a relatively slow start to the 2023-24 regular season, similar to the rest of the Sacramento Kings. However, in his past four games, Sabonis has looked every bit the part of a perennial All-Star, averaging 24 points, 12 rebounds, and ten assists on 67% shooting from the field. Those are borderline Jokic-level numbers on similar efficiency.
While Sabonis likely won’t keep up that level of play from now until the end of the season, he has certainly found a groove that he can feel good about in the meantime. And now, he faces a Spurs frontcourt that has been pretty solid defending opposing power forwards and centers despite the team’s horrendous 29th-ranked defensive rating.
Further, the Spurs allow opponents to shoot 40% from deep and post over 124 points per game on them. They are a mess.
Still, the interior defense has not been the issue. Sabonis receives a slight advantage due to his IQ and recent play, but don’t expect him to post the type of numbers he has been posting because San Antonio has shot-altering length, especially in the form of Wembanyama. Slight Advantage: Sabonis.
