Los Angeles Lakers vs Sacramento Kings Preview (1/7/23): Prediction, Starting Lineups, Odds

Despite a volatile season filled with injuries and chaos, the Los Angeles Lakers are winners of five of their past six games and hope to add another game to the win column when they travel upstate to face the Sacramento Kings. All relevant injury and lineup information is available below, as well as our betting predictions and picks for this game. Take a look!

Los Angeles Lakers Vs. Sacramento Kings Betting Odds

The Los Angeles Lakers are 9.5-point road dogs against the high-octane Sacramento Kings. Sacramento has been one of the few teams in the NBA that has been virtually unaffected by the injury bug and should have its entire roster healthy for this bout. On the other hand, the Lakers have played most of their games with several key players out. Los Angeles will miss Anthony Davis, Austin Reaves, and Lonnie Walker IV, while Russell Westbrook and Troy Brown Jr are listed as day-to-day.

Los Angeles Lakers Vs. Sacramento Kings Prediction

Los Angeles is fresh off a big home win against the Atlanta Hawks and will look to secure its fifth-straight win on Saturday night against the Sacramento Kings. Despite all of its injuries, the Lakers have found a way to stay remotely competitive; they are only 2.5 games out of seventh place in the Western Conference.

Anthony Davis’ absence has hurt the Lakers but has not crushed them. Interestingly enough, the Lakers have a higher winning percentage when he is off the floor. That is in no way insinuating that his presence isn’t incredibly important; however, it is rather an observation that the Lakers’ upside might be capped as a play-in team.

This winning streak is promising, but recent matchups against Sacramento have not been. The Lakers are 0-2 against Sacramento this season, losing by six at home and 14 on the road. The spread in this matchup is 9.5 points, a hefty number considering LeBron James should be available. During the Lakers’ winning streak, they have put together a net rating of +8.0, with incredible defensive efforts. I like Sacramento to win, but Los Angeles should keep it close.

Betting Trends

• Los Angeles is 8-13 ATS on the road in 2022-23
• Sacramento is 9-10 ATS at home in 2022-23
• The combined over record of these two teams is 38-36-1 in 2022-23

Key Matchups

In a game that features two of the fastest teams in the league, the Kings’ high-octane offense
and the Lakers’ transition defense highlight the key matchup. Take a look below to see if Sacramento will run all over Los Angeles or if the Lakers will be able to hold the Kings to a modest output.

Kings’ Transition Offense vs. Lakers’ Transition Defense

As alluded to above, the Lakers and Kings are two of the top four teams in the NBA as far as pace is concerned; they love playing up-tempo and forcing their style on opponents. These two teams have played twice this season, and both games favored the Kings.

In those games, the Lakers boasted a defensive rating of 124.7, an egregious rating that will almost always result in a loss. Despite being viewed as an elite transition team, Sacramento ranks just seventh in fastbreak points per game and efficiency. Los Angeles is middle-of-the-road defending the fastbreak; however, it has been playing defense at a high level in its four-game winning streak. Relative to their usual performance this season and against each other, Sacramento has the obvious advantage; however, the Lakers’ recent defensive efforts give them a slight advantage in this matchup. Advantage: Lakers’ Transition Defense.

Los Angeles Lakers Starting Lineup

PG: Dennis Schroder
SG: Patrick Beverley
SF: Troy Brown Jr
PF: LeBron James
C: Thomas Bryant

Sacramento Kings Starting Lineups

PG: De’Aaron Fox
SG: Kevin Huerter
SF: Harrison Barnes
PF: Keegan Murray
C: Domantas Sabonis

Key Injuries

Los Angeles Lakers Injuries: Anthony Davis (Out), Lonnie Walker IV (Out), Austin Reaves (Out), Damian Jones (Q), Russell Westbrook (Q), Troy Brown Jr (Q), LeBron James (P)

Sacramento Kings Injuries: None