INDIANA PACERS VS. SACRAMENTO KINGS – ODDS & PREDICTIONS FOR JANUARY 18, 2024 

Greetings, basketball fans. Welcome back to our NBA coverage here at Latest Basketball News. One of the games on tap from Thursday’s slate features the Indiana Pacers (23-18 SU, 23-17-1 ATS) taking on the Sacramento Kings (23-17 SU, 22-18 ATS).

Both teams are hoping to snap multi-game losing streaks when they face each other on Thursday night.

Here is a look at which team has the edge going into this matchup and why.

Tipoff

• When: Thursday, January 18, 2024
  
• Time: 10:00 PM ET
  
• Where: Golden 1 Center
  
• Location: Sacramento, CA
  
• TV: NBCS-CA and BSIN

Indiana Pacers vs. Sacramento Kings Odds (Via DraftKings)

Indiana Pacers vs. Sacramento Kings – Regular Season Stats & Betting Trends

Can The Pacers Snap Their Two-Game Losing Skid Against The Kings?

Indiana Pacers Season Stats:

• Scoring Offense: 125.6 PPG – 1ST     
• Offensive Efficiency: 122.1 points per 100 possessions – 1ST      
• Scoring Defense: 123.5 PPG – 29TH       
• Defensive Efficiency: 120.0 points per 100 possessions – 26TH  

The Pacers enter this matchup with seven wins across their last 10 contests. However, they have lost each of their last two games. This includes a 132-125 loss to the Utah Jazz on Monday night. 

Buddy Hield led the team with 14 points on 5-for-8 shooting from the floor and was 3-for-5 from 3-point range. Andrew Nembhard added 14 points and four assists. 

The Pacers played their fourth game without team leader Tyrese Haliburton (left hamstring). Indiana was also missing Aaron Nesmith (shin) and Bruce Brown (knee). 

With several players out of the lineup, Indiana struggled against the Jazz, shooting just 40 percent from the field and 29 percent from beyond the arc. 

Can The Kings Snap Their Three-Game Losing Streak?

Sacramento Kings Season Stats:

• Scoring Offense: 118.2 PPG – 8TH   
• Offensive Efficiency: 116.9 points per 100 possessions – 14TH        
• Scoring Defense: 117.8 PPG – 21ST     
• Defensive Efficiency: 116.5 points per 100 possessions – 17TH    

On the other side of this matchup, the Kings are 5-5 in their last 10 outings, and they have dropped each of their last three decisions. This includes a 119-117 loss against the Phoenix Suns on Tuesday night. 

De’Aaron Fox scored a team-high 33 points and handed out six assists. Domantas Sabonis finished with a triple-double that included 21 points, 12 rebounds, and 11 assists. 

The Kings let this one slip through their fingers. Phoenix outscored them 35-21 in the final frame while closing the game out with a 23-4 run. 

“It’s a tough way to lose. Give them credit,” Kings coach Mike Brown said after the game. “We played a good 42 minutes. The last six minutes, we took some tough shots at the rim. We couldn’t score at the rim instead of just continuing to move the ball and move bodies, everything was stagnant, we turned the ball over.

“We had no pace in the halfcourt, we were holding the ball a lot. We have to figure it out. Hopefully, it’s something we can learn from.”

The Kings are hoping to get back on track against the short-handed Pacers. 

Now that we have set the table for this matchup, let us closely examine the all-important betting trends for both sides.

The Picks

The Spread

The Kings opened as an eight-point favorite. At the time of this writing, the line has moved to 7.5 points for the home team.

Here is a look at how both teams have fared against the spread this season. 

• The Pacers are 9-2-1 ATS in their last 12 games.
• Indiana is 2-4 ATS in their last six matchups against the Kings.
• The Pacers are 1-4 ATS in their last five road games against Sacramento.
• Indiana is 6-2-1 in its last nine January games.
• The Kings are 4-1 ATS in their last five games.
• Sacramento is 1-4 ATS in its last five home games.
• The Kings are 5-2 ATS in their last seven home games against the Pacers.

Based on these trends, going with the home team to cover the spread is the best option.

Prediction: Sacramento Kings (-7.5)

Over/Under

The projected over/under total for this matchup opened at 243.5 points. At this time of this writing, the line has moved 247 points (via pre-game.com). Here is why going with the “UNDER” is the smart choice. 

• The total has gone UNDER five times in the Pacers’ last six games.

• The UNDER total has hit eight times in Indiana’s last eight road contests.

• In Indiana’s last eight games against Western Conference opponents, the UNDER total has won seven times.

• The UNDER total has prevailed four times in Sacramento’s last five games.

• In the Kings’ last five games against Indiana, the UNDER total has won four times. 

• The total has gone UNDER nine times in Sacramento’s last 13 January games.

Prediction: UNDER 247 points

Player Prop Bet

The key player to watch in this matchup is Sacramento’s point guard, De’Aaron Fox. He currently has -140 odds of scoring more than 28.5 points and +114 odds of finishing with less than 28.5 points (Via DraftKings). Here is a closer look at how his numbers compare to the projected points total for this matchup. 

• In eight career games against the Pacers, Fox is averaging 15.5 PPG.
• On the season, he is averaging 28.0 points per outing. 
• In 17 home games, Fox is averaging 28.2 PPG.
• Fox has played against Eastern Conference teams 12 times this season. In those contests, he is averaging 26.2 points per outing.
• During January, Fox is averaging 22.6 PPG. 
• Fox has played against teams in the Central Division three times this season. In those games, he has averaged 28.7 PPG.
• Over his last 10 outings, he is averaging 22.7 points per outing, exceeding the projected points total for this matchup just three times during that stretch. 

Prediction: De’Aaron Fox UNDER 28.5 points

Based on the above trends, going with the “under” for Fox is the smart play here.

James’s Indiana Pacers vs. Sacramento Kings Picks

• The Spread: Sacramento Kings (-7.5)
  
• Over/Under: Under 247 points
• Player Prop Bet: De’Aaron Fox Under 28.5 points