NBA: Sacramento Kings VS Indiana Pacers Pick and Predictions 02/03/2023

Game: 7:10 PM ET,  Friday, February 3rd, 2023

Venue:  Gainbridge Fieldhouse, Indianapolis, Indiana

TV: NBA League Pass

Kings: 29-21, 3rd place Western Conference

Pacers: 24-29, 11th place Eastern Conference

BetMGM:  Point Spread:  Kings -3.5, O/U 233.5

PointsBet: Point Spread: Kings -3.5, O/U 234

Fanduel: Point Spread: Kings -3.5, O/U 233.5

Kings: PG Davion Mitchell, SG Kevin Huerter, SF Harrison Barnes, PF Keegan Murray, C Domantas Sabonis

Pacers: PG Tyrese Halliburton, SG Andrew Nembhard, SF Buddy Hield, PF Aaron Nesmith, C Myles Turner

An NBA inter conference matchup of a really good Western Conference team and a kind of good Eastern Conference team.  Plus there is a caveat to this game and several of the games over the next  few days… At any moment a guy could be pulled out of the lineup because a trade may be nearing the finish line.  For the Sacramento Kings… a contender built on the strength of last season’s trade for C Domantas Sabonis… there is speculation that starting SG Kevin Huerter and/or backup Center Richaun Holmes may be on the block…. A really big trade could also include SF Harrison Barnes who has a big cigar chomping salary… That is a whole lot of potential “missed games”.  For the Indiana Pacers the team has the guard position on LOCK.  The combination of SG Ben Mathurin, PG Tyrese Halliburton (the team’s star), and PG/SG Andrew Nembhard is a promise of one of the best backcourts in the NBA for years to come…. It also highlights that the other SIX guards on the roster SHOULD be moved for forwards so they can start winning games.  The players that may suddenly pack their bags are SG (yet they play him as a forward) Buddy Hield, SG Chris Duarte, SG Kendall Brown, PG TJ McConnell, and SG Aaron Nesmith… any combination of those guys will be offered around the league multiple times with the possibility of late first round draft compensation added in?... The objective is to find a full rounded squad.  The Pacers just signed C Myles Turner to the largest “in-season” contract extension in NBA history with a quickies two-year $60 million dollar deal.  That deal was done to do 1 and only 1 thing… buy the franchise and the player the time to NOT make a final decision NOW… The team wants the Center… the Center wants more money… They both have half of what they want.  If a deal for Turner comes through that will most likely be made at a later date like this summer.  If a deal NEVER comes through for Turner.. Turner still gets to test his free agency in 2 seasons.  It is also fun to note that these two teams traded with each other last season to find the franchise players they were both missing.  The great betting opportunity here is to ignore the noise and find the winner ATS.

The Sacramento Kings have won 7 of their last 10 games. Going 6-3-1 ATS.  They are on a 2-game winning streak.  They won their last game against the San Antonio Spurs 119-109. In the win the Kings got 34 points & 11 rebounds from C Domantas Sabonis and 31 points & 10 assists from PG De’Aaron Fox… that kind of return is typical of the team’s winning formula… ride their two stars.  The rest of the roster has several bright spots… but everyone can see the “all-in moment”... and that would be finding a THIRD star to get them over the top.  

The Indiana Pacers have won only 1 of their last 10 games. They went only 2-8 ATS during that stretch.  They are on a 4-game losing streak and lost their last game in a soul crushing 112-111 finish against the Los Angeles Lakers.  In the loss the Pacers got 26 points & 12 assists from PG Tyrese Halliburton, 24 points from PF (but he really is a shooting guard) Aaron Nesmith, and 20 points & 13 rebounds from Center Myles Turner.  The Pacers lost this very very close game for the same reason they lose a lot of games… They trot out 4 guards with Myles Turner and there is noone on the floor that can slow down guys like PF LeBron James who drops 26, 7, 7 on them and Turner had his hands full with Anthony Davis who dropped 31,14,2 on him.  This team needs forwards.  A sad state since Halliburton, Mathurin, and Turner could be built into a great NBA trio given another year of experience together and FORWARDS.  

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The Kings are 1st in the NBA in scoring with 119.5 points per game, 24th in rebounds with 42 per game.  (teams that are first in scoring rarely are high in rebounds because of the lack of available rebounds… when the ball goes through the basket there is no rebound to get).  On defense the Kings are 21st in defense of scoring while allowing 116.4 points per game.  The +3 in scoring per game is really helping them reach and stay in 3rd place.  A trade for a guy like Toronto’s OG Anunoby (a real 2-way offense/defense guy) would turn this team into a true contender by next week.

The Indiana Pacers are 11th in scoring with 115.1 points per game, 23rd in rebounds with 42.1 per game.  The guards are keeping this team barely alive with scoring.  On defense the Pacers rank 25th in defense of scoring with 117.1 points per game allowed leads to a -2 per game scoring margin.  That is why they are better than Detroit and Houston but plummeting fast. 

Our prediction for Friday, February 3rd is….  Kings 118 - Pacers 111

Bet on the Kings. Should the spread soar much larger because Tyrese Halliburton is listed as day to day or Buddy Hield is held out to complete a trade… Still bet on the Kings.

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The Kings are 2-0 ATS versus Indiana in Indiana the last 3 seasons.

The Kings are 8-2 ATS as a road favorite this season.

The Pacers are 12-4 as a home underdog of 6 points or less this season.

Kings: C Domantas Sabonis.  Since his arrival… Sabonis is the franchise player.  Sabonis is the King of Kings.  Sabonis will take the team as far as it can go… he just needs a smidge more help.  Pencil him in for a double double on any given night.. And much more on some nights.

Pacers:  PG Tyrese Halliburton. Tyrese has a long dominant future.  He will be a star point guard for a decade.  Whether or not he gets ANY titles in Indiana comes directly from what his team turns all those “other pieces”, that they got from the Kings for Sabonis, into… Hield and the picks need to become a star forward.

Kings: Michael “beat LA” malone

Pacers: Rick “I don’t look that much like Jim Carrey?” Carlisle