Sacramento Kings vs Indiana Pacers Preview (2/3/23): Prediction, Starting Lineups, Odds

On Friday, NBA fans are blessed with an enticing matchup between the Sacramento Kings and Indiana Pacers, two teams that made a blockbuster deal last season before the trade deadline.

Below, you can see our analysis of this game, including our betting picks, predictions, and current odds, as well as expected starting lineups and updated injury reports for both teams. Let’s get into it.

Sacramento Kings Vs. Indiana Pacers Betting Odds

The Indiana Pacers are three-point home dogs against the Sacramento Kings, one of the best teams in the Western Conference. Both of these teams have a fairly clean injury report, but Sacramento will miss De’Aaron Fox due to personal reasons.

On the other hand, Indiana will have everyone available unless it scratches someone late in the day.

Sacramento Kings Vs. Indiana Pacers Prediction

Describing the Pacers’ last month as “rough” would not even be doing it justice; they have dropped 11 of their past 12 games and just lost a tough nail-biter against the Los Angeles Lakers at home.

This offense was once firing on all cylinders shortly before Haliburton’s injury (in the 120s in offensive rating during a multi-game stretch) and can now do nothing right. The Pacers have a net rating of -9.0 during this avalanche, and even though Tyrese Haliburton is back, they might not return to form any time soon.

Meanwhile, Sacramento has rattled off two-straight road wins after dropping three of four. The Kings will be without De’Aaron Fox, which could stifle this offense a bit; however, they will get a solid defensive effort from Davion Mitchell, who should be guarding Tyrese Haliburton like a hawk all game.

The reality is that Indiana has played atrociously on the defensive end of the floor in the past month, while the Kings have arguably the best, or second-best, offense in the NBA. Fox’s absence will hurt, but I like the Kings to grind out a narrow victory here.

Betting Trends

• Sacramento is 15-8 ATS on the road in 2022-23
• Indiana is 17-10 ATS at home in 2022-23
• The combined over record of these two teams is 47-54-2 in 2022-23

Key Matchups

It should not be too difficult to guess what our key matchup will be, despite the fact that these two players won’t be defending each other: Tyrese Haliburton versus Domantas Sabonis. See below which player will have a bigger outing and whether it will make a difference in the game’s outcome.

Tyrese Haliburton vs. Domantas Sabonis

While these two players obviously won’t be defending one another, they will each have an element of pride involved in this game. Sabonis was traded by the Pacers, and now he is back in the city that turned him into an All-Star, while Haliburton is again playing the team that moved him, despite his undying love for Sacramento.

De’Aaron Fox is out in this game due to personal reasons, so expect Davion “Off Day” Mitchell to step into the lineup and defend Haliburton. Mitchell is one of the peskiest guard defenders in the league, which could give Tyrese a bit of trouble. However, more than likely, the Pacers will try to utilize ball screens to get the Kings to switch as much as possible.

Meanwhile, Sabonis will be going up against his previous frontcourt partner, Myles Turner, a shot-blocking big who has the size to body up Domantas. Turner knows Sabonis’ game as well as any center in the league and has the athleticism on the defensive end of the floor to keep the former Pacers star at bay.

Both Haliburton and Sabonis are going to have their hands full, but Sabonis probably has the advantage. Hali is still coming back from an injury that sidelined him for a few weeks, while Sabonis has posted some big numbers in his past three games, securing double-doubles in all of them. Advantage: Sabonis.

Sacramento Kings Starting Lineup

PG: Davion Mitchell
SG: Kevin Huerter
SF: Harrison Barnes
PF: Keegan Murray
C: Domantas Sabonis

Indiana Pacers Starting Lineups

PG: Andrew Nembhard
SG: Buddy Hield
SF: Benn Mathurin
PF: Aaron Nesmith
C: Myles Turner

Key Injuries

Sacramento Kings Injuries: De’Aaron Fox (Out)

Indiana Pacers Injuries: None