Sacramento Kings vs. Cleveland Cavaliers: Prediction, Preview, Picks & Odds - 12/9/2022

by Chuck Sommers

Friday, Dec 09, 2022
Time: 7:30 p.m. ET
Venue: Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse, Cleveland, OH
Where to watch: BSOH, NBCSCA

Opening Odds at USA Sportsbooks


DraftKings: Cavs -5.5; Cavs -225, Kings +190; O/U 225.5
FanDuel: Cavs -6; Cavs -250, Kings +205; O/U 226.5
BetMGM: Cavs -5.5; Cavs -225, Kings +185
Caesars: Cavs -5.5; Cavs -227, Kings +185

Season record
Kings: 13-9
Cavs: 16-9

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Kings - Cavs preview, prediction and analysis


Kings analysis
 
The Sacramento Kings are a weird team right now. I mean that in a couple of sentences. On one hand, Sacramento is winning More than I think anybody anticipated them doing. They have a 13-9 record and have looked tremendous under coach Mike Brown. Like, I can't even get over the fact that they have been as good defensively in stints than I think anyone could have imagined. But right now, Sacramento is a little bit streaky. They win three in a row, then they lose three in a row to three very good teams, and then win three in a row against teams that are right under round their level, and then lose by 13 to the Milwaukee Bucks on Wednesday. You Add all of that together, in addition to being 5-5 against the spread over the last 10 and you're trying to figure out where Sacramento really is in this whole situation.
 
Because it's not like Sacramento did not get its production from the big time players. Domantis Sabonis had 23 points and 12 rebounds, and he only missed two shots. Harrison Barnes chipped in with a very solid 20 points on six of 11 shooting. The only problems you could look at from a Sacramento point of view would be De’Aaron Fox scoring just 15 points while taking 16 shots, and Malik Monk going 7 of 19 in 28 minutes off the bench. clearly, Sacramento isn't quite there yet. And seeing as how they struggled heavily against the NBA champions from two years ago, you really should not have expected much.
 
Sacramento has been a little interesting on the books knowing that the under is 5-1 in their last six road games against teams with a winning record, but the over is 5-1 in Sacramento’s last six following an outright loss. So you have to be very careful to figure out if they're going to be the beneficiary of scoring all these points to ensure that the over goes or are they going to go cold and not come through when needed to?
 
Cavaliers analysis
 
the Cleveland Cavaliers or another one of those weird teams where they have certainly been winning a lot more than I think teams anticipated, but they've hit a little bit of a snag over November and December to where you wonder if they can start picking it up again. And Cleveland has done that, to its credit, with three wins in their last four games. Albeit the opponents are not as earthshattering is most would have anticipated, but Cleveland being able to bounce back with a 116-102 victory against the Los Angeles Lakers on Tuesday could certainly build their confidence.
 
The problem Cleveland ran into with that game is that Anthony Davis left the game due to an illness that was not COVID related. Davis had been killing it up to that point and taking all the pressure off of LeBron James when the Lakers needed it. But Cleveland absolutely took full advantage of that situation with Donovan Mitchell scoring 43 points on 17 of 27 shooting to go along with six rebounds and five assists. Darius Garland also chipped in with 21 points and 11 assists, while Jarrett Allen had 24 points and 11 rebounds. Cleveland roles big time when their top players can make big time moments happen like that.
 
In addition to winning three of their last four, the Cavs have also covered in three of the last four and are 6-3-1 against the spread in their last ten. But be wary of this one when you're picking it because the under is 5-1 in the last six meetings between these two, and Cleveland has certainly seen a little bit of a run of the under no matter the situation over the last couple of weeks.
 
Prediction
 
Normally I would take Sacramento being 8-2 against the spread in the last 10 times they have faced Cleveland as an important anecdote to this game. But this is a different Cleveland team that does not falter under the pressure like it used to. Cleveland is a much better squad and if they can get something going out of what they've shown in these last four games then things will start to pick up big time for the Cavs. Cavs by 10

Betting trends


Kings are 67-43 ATS on the road when the total is 220 to 229.5 since 1996. 

Cavs are 331-398 after a non-conference game since 1996.

Cavs are 13-4 ATS as a favorite this season.

Projected starting lineup


Kings:
PG: De'Aaron Fox
SG: Kevin Huerter
SF: Harrison Barnes
PF: Keegan Murray
C: Domantas Sabonis

Cavs:
PG: Darius Garland
SG: Donovan Mitchell
SF: Lamar Stevens
PF: Evan Mobley
C: Jarrett Allen

Injury report


Kings: None

Cavs: Kevin Love (back, out), Ricky Rubio (knee, out)

Don't miss our champion handicappers' free picks and expert basketball picks today. And if you enjoyed this Sacramento Kings - Cleveland Cavaliers prediction, be sure to drop by every day for our daily NBA projections and previews.

Chuck Sommers

About the Author:

Chuck Sommers has camped outside of sportsbooks since he can remember, learning the tricks and nuances of the trade. He still has nightmares of betting $5,000 on the Raiders in the Tuck Rule game but has since turned that to 25 years of veteran handicapping greatness. You can find him mostly in the shadows at the Red Rock or Aliante casinos wondering if the over is cashing on any given Sunday.

All photographic images used for editorial content have been licensed from the Associated Press.

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