The Sacramento Kings shine on Saturdays, but Dallas center Anthony Davis' absence and the Mavericks' road form complicate this intriguing matchup. Who cashes in?
For all their struggles, one thing has been remarkably clear about the Sacramento Kings thus far this season:
Playing on Saturday nights has been worthwhile.
The Kings (7-23), entering tonight’s 5:00 p.m (ET) tipoff as +2.5 home underdogs vs. the Dallas Mavericks (12-20) at Golden 1 Center in Sacramento, California, are 3-1 since November 1, whenever they lace them up on Saturday night, which includes a win in Miami against the Heat earlier this month.
That’s almost half their wins for a team that hasn’t experienced much winning in recent months.
And maybe, just maybe, the ‘books know something as Dallas is a short -142 road favorite on the moneyline.
The Kings, who have gone over the total in 14 games this season, score 5.6 points fewer (112.0) than what the Mavericks allow (117.6).
The over/under total is 231.5, as per FanDuel Sportsbook.
Sacramento is 7-2-1 and 5-5 overall when scoring more than 117.6 points.
However, Mavericks center Anthony Davis, averaging a team-leading 20.5 points per game before suffering a groin injury on Christmas Day vs. the Minnesota Timberwolves, will be sidelined for a few games.
Davis was also pulling down 10.9 rebounds a game.
Dallas, 5-5 in their last 10 games, is 4-5-1 against the spread during said stretch.
The Mavericks are 1-2 when road money line favorites.
Sacramento, 3-10-1 against the spread at home, won its first three Saturday night games of the season, before losing to Portland on Dec. 20.
The Kings, 2-8 in their last 10 games, are 3-6-1 against the spread during that span, in addition to 10-20 against the spread overall.
Sacramento’s DeMar DeRozan (19.0 points per game) is currently the team’s leading scorer, with Russell Westbrook at 14.4 points per game in addition to 7.2 assists and 6.9 rebounds per game.
Veteran guard Dennis Schroder, who was recently inserted back into the starting lineup by head coach Doug Christie, is averaging 13.3 points, 3.6 rebounds and 5.9 assists per game.
Defensively, Schroder is averaging 0.7 steals and 0.2 blocks a contest.
Mavs star rookie Cooper Flagg is averaging 19.4 points, 6.4 rebounds and 3.8 assists per game.
Kings F Zach LaVine (ankle) and C Domantas Sabonis (knee) continue to be out.
The Kings, playing on back-to-back nights for a second consecutive weekend, visit the Los Angeles Lakers next, so hosting the Mavs without Davis is likely their best path to victory in the coming days — even at 2-8 in their last 10 games.
Therefore, Dallas, playing for the third night in five days and just 5-9 against the spread on the road, could be a bit overpriced, in our opinion.
Even, at around -142 on the money line, which is a telling sign that the Kings might be a live ‘dog.
Dallas is 4-2 against the spread and overall when it scores more than 122.5 points.
This is your last chance to catch the Sacramento Kings on a Saturday night in 2025.
So, be wise.