Sunday’s NBA slate features an intriguing Pacific Division battle between the Los Angeles Clippers (37-18) and Sacramento Kings (32-23). The Kings must win in L.A. to avoid losing the regular-season series.
Bookmaker BetOnline offers odds at +105 for the Kings to win the race to 10 points and +120 for them to reach 20 points first. Meanwhile, the odds are at -135 for the Clippers to get to 10 points first and -150 for the hosts to win the race to 20 points.
※ Current Odds Date & Time: February 25th, 8:00 A.M. (EST)
The Clippers won the first head-to-head meeting in November 131-117 in Sacramento and also dominated on home court in December with a 119-99 victory. Kawhi Leonard had 30-plus points in each game, and Sacramento must do a better job against him defensively to boost its chances of avoiding another defeat on Sunday.
With a good defensive play, the Kings are capable of matching anyone. The team averages the fourth-most points among all Western Conference teams and can get buckets anytime from the star duo of De’Aaron Fox and Domantas Sabonis.
Fox went through a bad mid-season slump, which ended up costing him an All-Star selection, but he has started to pick up form again, averaging 32.7 points across the last three games. Sabonis leads the league with 19 triple-doubles and even outshined Nikola Jokic when Sacramento recorded an impressive 102-98 road win against the Nuggets last week.
Following recent inconsistent form, Sacramento has fallen outside the top six in the West, but the win against Denver will have been a very good morale booster, and another big result against the Clippers would certainly provide another lift for the team.
The Clippers have climbed to third in the Western Conference and sit just two games back of the Minnesota Timberwolves, who lead the pack with a 40-17 record. There have been just six losses for Tyronn Lue’s men since the turn of the year, and the star-studded lineup has silenced the critics.
Plenty of questions were asked when the Clippers decided to add James Harden to the mix of Leonard, Paul George, and Russell Westbrook, but the fearsome foursome has found great chemistry, and slowing the Clippers’ attack has become a real headache for the opposition.
In an unexpected twist, the Clippers have also turned into a top-quality defensive unit – Lue’s team ranks ninth in points allowed per game and also sits inside the top 10 in defensive rating. The good balance of offense and defense has helped the Clippers win nine of their last 11 home games.
