SACRAMENTO KINGS VS. DENVER NUGGETS ODDS AND PREDICTIONS FOR FEBRUARY 14, 2024

Greetings, basketball fans. Welcome back to our NBA coverage here at Latest Basketball News. One of the games on tap from tonight’s slate features the Sacramento Kings (30-22 SU, 27-26 ATS) taking on the Denver Nuggets (36-18 SU, 22-30-2 ATS).

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

Tipoff

• When: Wednesday, February 14, 2024
  
• Time: 9:00 PM ET
  
• Where: Ball Arena
  
• Location: Denver, Colorado
  
• TV: ALT and NBCS-CA

Sacramento Kings vs. Denver Nuggets Odds (Via DraftKings)

Sacramento Kings vs. Denver Nuggets – Regular Season Stats & Betting Trends

Can The Kings Get Back On Track Against The Defending Champs?

Sacramento Kings Season Stats:

• Scoring Offense: 118.6 PPG – 9TH            
• Offensive Efficiency: 117.4 points per 100 possessions – 14TH                 
• Scoring Defense: 118.1 PPG – 22ND               
• Defensive Efficiency: 116.9 points per 100 possessions – 19TH      

The Kings are currently in the No. 8 spot in the conference playoff race and trail the Dallas Mavericks by a half-game for the seventh spot. Sacramento is 5-5 across its last 10 outings, with four of those losses occurring in its last five games.

This includes back-to-back losses to the Oklahoma City Thunder (127-113) and the Phoenix Suns (130-125). In the loss to the Suns, De’Aaron Fox scored a team-high 40 points along with nine rebounds, six assists, and three steals. 

Domantas Sabonis pumped in 35 points on 14-for-22 shooting from the field. He also tallied 18 rebounds, 12 assists, and three blocked shots. Malik Monk led the second unit with 22 points, six assists, and four rebounds.

The Kings are 0-2 on their current three-game road trip. That is the bad news. The good news is the last time these teams squared off; Sacramento came away with a convincing 135-106 win over the defending champions on its home court.

It will be interesting to see if the Kings can pull off the feat again, given that Denver has struggled as well over its last few contests.

Can The Nuggets Avoid A Three-Game Losing Streak?

Denver Nuggets Season Stats:

• Scoring Offense: 114.2 PPG – 18TH        
• Offensive Efficiency: 118.2 points per 100 possessions – 12TH             
• Scoring Defense: 111.0 PPG – 6TH              
• Defensive Efficiency: 114.8 points per 100 possessions – 12TH       

Meanwhile, the Denver Nuggets find themselves in the No. 4 spot in the Western Conference where the top four teams are separated by just two games. Denver has produced six wins in its last 10 outings. However, they enter this matchup amid a two-game losing skid.

This includes losses to the Sacramento Kings (135-106) on Friday followed by a 112-95 loss to the Milwaukee Bucks on Monday night. Nikola Jokic paced the team’s offense with 29 points, 12 rebounds, and eight assists. 

Aaron Gordon added 15 points, seven rebounds, and two assists. Michael Porter Jr. contributed 11 points, six boards, and four dimes.

Denver trailed by just five points after the first quarter. Unfortunately, they were outscored by a 63-40 margin over the next two quarters. 

“I think for me as a head coach, I’ve got to make sure I am not overreacting and panicking while also that delicate balance of holding them accountable and letting them know how we’re playing right now these last two games is not good enough,” Nuggets coach Michael Malone said after the game. “We’ve got an opportunity to go home and right the ship before we go into the break.”

The Nuggets struggled against the Bucks, shooting just 38.3 percent from the field and 27.5 percent from beyond the arc. A much better effort will be required to snap their two-game slide.

Now that we have set the table for this Western Conference showdown, let us look at the betting trends for both sides.

The Picks

The Spread

The Denver Nuggets opened as a consensus 5.5-point favorite. The line has recently climbed to six points for the home team (per pre-game.com). Here is a look at how both teams have fared against the spread this season. 

• The Kings are 1-4 ATS in their last five games overall.
• In its last six contests, Sacramento is 2-4 ATS in their last six matchups against Western Conference teams. 
• Like the Kings, the Nuggets are also 1-4 ATS in their last five outings.
• Denver is 5-11 ATS in their last 16 matchups against Western Conference teams.
• The Nuggets are 1-5 ATS in their last six contests against Pacific Division opponents.

Given the fact the Nuggets were soundly defeated in their last encounter with the Kings, going with the home team to cover is the smart play here.

Prediction: Denver Nuggets (-6)

Over/Under

The projected over/under total for this matchup opened at 229 points. At the time of this writing, the line has not changed. Here is why going with the “over” is the smart choice. 

• The total has gone OVER six times in the Kings’ last seven games.
  
• The OVER total has cashed in four times in Sacramento’s last five road matchups.
• In the Kings’ last eight February games, the OVER total prevailed seven times.
• The total has gone OVER nine times in the Nuggets’ last 13 games against Sacramento.

Prediction: OVER 229 points

Team Prop Bets

Since there were no player prop bets available at this time, we will go in a different direction by focusing on the team prop bets instead. The Kings have -115 odds of scoring more than 111.5 points and -115 odds of scoring less than 111.5 points. 

Here is a glance to see how their season numbers compare to the projected points total for this matchup. 

• During the season, the Kings are averaging 118.7 points per outing. 
• In 24 road contests this season, Sacramento is averaging 121.8 PPG.
  
• The Kings have played against Western Conference teams 34 times this season. In those contests, they are averaging 116.1 points per outing.
• In 11 matchups against Northwest Division opponents, Sacramento is averaging 119.5 points per game.
• Over their last 10 outings, the Kings are averaging 118.8 points per game, while exceeding the points total for this matchup seven times during that stretch.

Given the above trends, going with the “over” for the Kings is the best choice here.

Prediction: Sacramento Kings OVER 111.5 points

Meanwhile, the Denver Nuggets have -110 odds of scoring more than 118.5 points and -120 odds of scoring less than 118.5 points. 

Let us look closer to see how their season numbers stack up against the projected points total for this matchup. 

• On the season, the Nuggets are averaging 114.2 points per outing.
• In 25 home contests, Denver is averaging 119.5 PPG.
• The defending champions have played against Western Conference teams 32 times this season. In those contests, they are averaging 114.8 points per outing.
• In 11 matchups against Pacific Division opponents, Denver is averaging 114.5 points per game.
• Over their last 10 outings, the Nuggets are averaging 116.1 points per game, while exceeding the points total for this matchup five times during that stretch.

Prediction: Denver Nuggets UNDER 118.5 points

James’s Sacramento Kings vs. Denver Nuggets Picks

• The Spread: Denver Nuggets (-6)
• Over/Under: OVER 229 points
• Team Prop Bet #1: Sacramento Kings OVER 111.5 points
• Team Prop Bet #2: Denver Nuggets UNDER 118.5 points