NBA Picks and Betting Tips: Oklahoma City Thunder vs Sacramento Kings Prediction, 26th November
NLB Staff
24.11.2024 12:13
Oklahoma City Thunder vs Kings Prediction
As this Oklahoma City Thunder squad enter the matchup having been a very strong Western Conference squad, their opponent in Sacramento has recently gotten into a lot of struggles. Seeing that Oklahoma City won their last game by a score of 109-99 against Portland, Sacramento just lost their 2nd straight by losing 104-88 to Sacramento. This game will be played on November 26th at 8:30 A.M. IST in Paycom Center of Oklahoma City. Underneath are our key betting tips, vital injuries, betting insights, and top player props in order to come up with an accurate prediction.
Oklahoma City Thunder vs Kings Key Betting Tips & Predictions
1. Oklahoma City Thunder vs Sacramento Kings Moneyline Pick
Seeing that the moneyline for OKC is at -191, they should win this with ease as they have a much stronger game on both ends. As Shai Gilegous-Alexander and Alex Caruso complement each others game wonderfully, they should be able to handle the duo of De’Aaron Fox plus Kevin Huerter. Even though many think Demar Derozan should easily beat Luguentz Dort, the OKC small forwards defensive will show otherwise. With OKC having a huge defensive advantage upfront with Isiash Hartenstien plus Jalen Williams, they should also score more than Sabonis and Keegan Murray. As this is true, OKC should win their -191 moneyline and 3rd straight vs this Kings squad.
2. Oklahoma City Thunder vs Sacramento Kings Point Spread Pick
With the spread being at -4.5 for Oklahoma City in this game, it should easily be taken due to their prowess on both ends. As Shai Gilegous-Alexander starts at point guard for them again, he should continue providing a huge offensive output through his all-around game. Going up against De’Aaron Fox, they both will knock down a lot of shots and create good dribbles for passes, but the key is that SGA has way stronger defense. Given he is a much bigger piece that can move side-to-side, he will be able to handle the Kings guard with ease when in the corner. As the shooting guard matchup will be dominated by Alex Caruso who has ability to space the floor and is one of the premier defenders, he will completely lockdown the already struggling Kevin Huerter. As Luguentz Dort gets Demar Derozan in this matchup, he should really have great body control and a base to not let the star dribble around or cross him. Seeing that Dort closes out great on shots as well, there will be very minimal chance for Derozan to play the same game. With Jalen Williams being tasked to guard Keegan Murray, his height plus elite agility helps him win the rebounding battle easily. Someone who can really defend, he will limit Murray’s shot-making ability while also creating offense from inside or out for this OKC squad. With Isaish Hartenstien guarding the great Domantas Sabonis, he should limit both his rebounding plus scoring to help OKC win their -4.5 spread.
3. Oklahoma City Thunder vs Sacramento Kings Over/Under Pick (Total Points)
As the over/under in this game is at 225.5 points, both squad have elite players on offense that will help put in a lot of buckets. Seeing the Kings are led by one of the quickest guards in the game, they also have a great small forward who can knock down deep shots or create near his basket. With a power forward whose improved his long-range shot and continues hammering hom dunks, this Kings roster has an elite all-around center. Meanwhile, OKC is led by a great two-way point guard who can score and create for others with ease. Although there have been some slow games from him, having his shooting guard creates a lot of three-point shots for both of them as well. Having two wings that can knock down perimeter shots from the top of the key or side will help keep the score high, while their center can provide layups. With two quick guards, the game should be well over 217 combined points from last time out.
Oklahoma City Thunder vs Sacramento Kings Top Player Props
Domantas Sabonis over 17.5 points at 1.83: Seeing that Sabonis continues being a great inside scorer that can stretch it out, he has become a key piece this offense runs around. But, even though he is anticaptaed to have a great night OKC, it will be a little limited due to Isaish Hartenstien’s defensive prowess. Being someone who averages 20.4 points a night, he will be a little lower than his season-average but not by a huge amount.
Shai Gilegous-Alexander over 23.5 points at 1.71: As SGA continues being one of the best scorers that can drive in and finish from outside, he keeps being their most important piece shooting. With De’Aaron Fox on him to create an elite offensive shootout, the Thunder point guard should put up a lot of points. With Shai Gilegous-Alexander averaging 28.7 points a night, he should definitely improve on that average after hitting the over.
Oklahoma City Thunder vs Sacramento Kings Injury News & Impact
Oklahoma City Thunder Injuries: As Chet Holmgren, 16.4 points and 8.7 rebounds, remains out with the iliac hip injury, this group has returned Isaish Hartenstien as a more defensive center to take over for him. With Jaylin Williams and Nikola Topic still missing, this OKC team will be short of depth pieces once again.
Sacramento Kings Injuries: Seeing that Malik Monk, 12.6 points, is still out with his ankle injury, this group will have to let a less efficient scorer in Kevin Huerter play an extended role.
Oklahoma City Thunder vs Kings Head-to-Head Trends
As Oklahoma City have won their last two against Sacramento, they hope to build on this streak as a stronger team. With both these games being one at home, the Thunder have also averaged 119.5 points over these games and scored 100+ in 3 straight vs this Kings squad. Being 2-1 against the spread during this period, the Thunder will look to improve their record even more.
Betting Insights & Public Trends
Seeing the current public trends, Oklahoma City is backed by 65.6% of bettors to beat Sacramento in this matchup.
Oklahoma City Thunder vs Kings Final Prediction
With the Oklahoma City Thunder entering this matchup having played at a top level, they will go up against a pretty dynamic Kings squad. But, as the Thunder are starting to figure out things even without some of their best players, they should have a pretty good advantage against a cooled down Sacramento team. Led by Shai Gilegous-Alexander at point guard, his prowess as a finisher and knock-down shooter continues being a huge reason why this Thunder offense has been so successful. Someone who has a great ability to find the open man as well, his matchup against De’Aaron Fox will be a very important battle. Although the Kings point guard has show some amazing pace when dribbling and scoring abilities, SGA’s size and cover ability will make it a little harder for Fox. Seeing that, Shai Gilegous-Alexander will win this matchup by a small margin due to his defensive length and ability to create extra possessions for OKC. With Alex Caruso lined up next to him as the main shooting guard, he could have another explosive scoring night from long-range plus inside. Going up against a weaker defender in Kevin Huerter makes it seem even more feasible given the fact that the Kings SG can’t really find his scoring form this season. Knowing Caruso is an elite defender who can lockdown various scorers, this will completely take Huerter out of the game and force more on Demar Derozan from his small forward spot.
The one key here is that even though Derozan had been a great scorer from all-around before his back injury, it is not at a similar level in addition to having to against a much bigger defender in Luguentz Dort. Seeing that the Oklahoma City Thunder small forward has great muscle and a strong frame, he will no allow the prowess of Demar to overtake his abilities as blocker plus stealer. Seeing that he has unique speed for that size as well, Dort has shown a great ability to create transition offense and finish on the other end from three or by dunking. Having another extremely strong defender in Jalen Williams at power forward, his ability to lockdown a power forward like Keegan Murray will be key. Even though Keegan Murray has developed a great three-point game and mid-range shot, Jalen Williams will force him into a lot of traps to force passes outside or take unconventional angles. As Williams strength plus speed will help him win the rebounding battle, his greatness as a deep shooter plus insider finisher can’t be beaten by Murray. Having Sabonis at center for Sacramento may seem like an advantage, but with Isiash Hartenstien back to win the rebounding battle and create misses closer to the hoop, this matchup will be a lot closer. With OKC’s bench also having Isiash Joe and Cason Wallace off it, Keon Tyrese Ellis and Trey Lyles will have to create for Sacramento to keep it close.
Our prediction: Oklahoma City Thunder win and cover their -4.5 spread, while score goes over 225.5 points.
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