Sacramento Kings vs Los Angeles Lakers: Prediction, Starting Lineups, Odds (1/18/23)

The Sacramento Kings visit the Los Angeles Lakers in a Western Conference clash. The Kings have won four games in a row with the last one being against the Spurs on the road. The Lakers are also coming off a win against the Rockets at home. It should be an interesting matchup in the West. Let’s take a look at the odds and make some picks and predictions for this game.

Sacramento Kings vs. Los Angeles Lakers Betting Odds


The Sacramento Kings are a 2-point road favorite against the Los Angeles Lakers and is at -130 on the money line. The over/under is also at 246.5. The Kings being favored here makes sense because they’ve been the better team overall this year, and the Lakers are missing Anthony Davis too. The over/under also makes sense because both teams are very good offensively, but average at best on defense.

Sacramento Kings vs. Los Angeles Lakers Prediction

The Pick: Los Angeles Lakers +2

The Lakers have been a big disappointment this year. They were expected to be better than last year, but have still struggled in certain spots, mainly due to roster issues. However, they still have LeBron James, and at 38 still hasn’t shown any signs of slowing down. He leads the Lakers in scoring and rebounds this year. A big key for the Lakers is Anthony Davis, but he’s been injured and won’t see the court till early February. Russell Westbrook has rebounded a bit thanks to being a very productive sixth man off the bench and he leads the Lakers in assists and steals, even off the bench.

Lonnie Walker and Thomas Bryant have been productive too and have stepped up after Anthony Davis got injured. As a team, the Lakers excel on the offensive side of the court and are top-10 in points scored per game and field goal percentage too, but they’ve struggled at times on defense. On the other side, the Kings seem to have figured it out this year. De’Aaron Fox is their leader at point guard who does it all and leads the team in scoring. Another big key for the Kings is Domantas Sabonis who’s been dominant down low. He’s the second-leading scorer, and leads the team in rebounds and assists. Kevin Huerter and Harrison Barnes have also been very good this season, being two great shooters and defenders with Huerter leading the team in steals. As a team, the Kings excel a ton on the offensive side of the court, but have been average at best on defense.

The Kings lead the NBA in scoring at 120 points, they’re third in field goal percentage at 49.3%, and they’re top-10 in point differential too. There’s a lot to like about the Kings in this spot, but this is a prime spot for the Lakers to surprise too. The Lakers are the home team and should be able to cover and win outright in this spot against Sacramento.

Betting Trends

  • Kings are 4-0 ATS in their last 4 games vs. a team with a losing straight up record.
  • Lakers are 5-1 ATS in their last 6 games following a ATS win.

Key Matchups

Can Keegan Murray matchup with LeBron James? Can Dennis Schroder matchup with De’Aaron Fox?

LeBron James vs. Keegan Murray

LeBron James hasn’t showed signs of slowing down just yet. He averages 30 points, 7 assists, and 8 rebounds per game for the season. He’ll be matched up against rookie Keegan Murray for most of the game who averages 12 points, 1 assist, and 4 rebounds per game for the season. This should be a big matchup in the game because of how good LeBron is. Murray has been good as a rookie, but going up against LeBron James is a completely different challenge.

De’Aaron Fox vs. Dennis Schroder

De’Aaron Fox has been having his best season yet. He averages 24 points, 6 assists, and 4 rebounds per game for the season. He’ll be matched up against Dennis Schroder for most of the game who averages 12 points, 4 assists, and 2 rebounds per game for the season. Fox is the engine that makes the Kings go, so Schroder has his hands full here. Point guard is always a big-time matchup and it’s no different here in this matchup.

Sacramento Kings Starting Lineup

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

Los Angeles Lakers Starting Lineups

PG: Dennis Schroder
SG: Patrick Beverley
SF: Max Christie
PF: LeBron James
C: Thomas Bryant

Key Injuries

Sacramento Kings Injuries: No Injuries

Los Angeles Lakers Injuries: SF LeBron James (Ankle) Q, PF Anthony Davis (Foot) O

Post
Jake Faigus, graduated from the University of Arizona with a bachelor’s degree in journalism and minored in sports management. He wrote for The Daily Wildcat, as well as the Arizona Fansided blog, Zona Zealots. He currently writes for Aaron Torres Media and runs social media for BracketFanatics.

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