Game Time: 8:00 PM ET, Monday, February 28th, 2022 

Venue:  Paycom Center, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

Where to Watch:  NBA League Pass

DraftKings:  Spread: Kings -4.5; O/U 222.5 

Fanduel:  Spread:  Kings -4.5; O/U 222.5

ESPN:  Spread: Kings -4.5

Kings: 22-40, 13th place Western Conference

Thunder: 19-41, 14th place Western Conference

A Western Conference battle between two teams that are only barely better than the Houston Rockets.  Two of the worst teams in the West… two of the worst teams in the league… a battle of pure meaninglessness.  There can be great betting opportunities when two consistent underdogs play each other.  They both stink… they both ain’t any good… but somebody has to win!  Unless we get a Push on the spread and a Push on the O/U… we will see winners made up of guys who knew how to bet such an obvious game.

The Sacramento Kings have won 4 of their last ten games.  That was a good ten game stretch for a team that only wins 30% of their games… over the last 2 decades!.  The teams they beat are The Washington Wizards, the Minnesota Timberwolves, the Oklahoma City Thunder (take note), and the Brooklyn Nets immediately following Durant’s injury.  The Kings are a bad team that only beats other bad teams… and even then it’s not guaranteed.  The Kings recently traded for PF/C Domantas Sabonis… who is a total stud… but everyone flipped out because in the trade the Kings put Tyrese Haliburton… a young, cheap player who was making serious inroads to being their own best player.  Net loss?... Net gain?... It’s Sacramento, How will we ever tell?  Ther Kings don’t have a bad team… and they don’t have a bad coach…. The Kings have bad ownership… or one of the worst ownerships in pro-sports.  The Kings have stayed with bad management for too long and then doubled down on some of those bad moves… It’s as if the owner not only doesn’t know basketball… but can’t find people to work for him that even like basketball.  Somehow, someday it will occur to the Kings to keep the young players that play well and move the ones that cause headaches.  It might also occur to them to stop piling up young guys and simply run the team better.  

The OKC Thunder have won only 3 games in their last 10.  A case can be made that every effort is being put into place to use the games to develop SG Josh Giddey (a future multiple time all-star player) and NOT win games.  The Thunder have more draft picks over the next 5 NBA drafts then they have roster spots… and yes they have a bad roster now… but at least 4-5 of these guys will become keepers.  The losses will help make that plethora of coming draft picks very valuable!  After a few really good, top draft picks the Thunder will then trade several picks for one big star to lead them to a better spot in the standings.  That is the plan… it is not only obvious from the rotation of players being put on the court, but even in the depth of the roster to begin with.  Vets sit… young guys play… the result is losses.  Veteran 6’10 PF Derrick Favors leads the team in FG%... and his reward is of course less than 12 minutes per game of playing time with several DNP’s.  Derrick will be free to sign elsewhere one day and suddenly his minutes will shoot up!  Funny how stuff like that could ever happen?  It’s also funny that instead of starting power forward Derrick Favors the Thunder are instead starting shooting guard  Aaron Wiggins at one of the forward spots.  Aaron is only 6’4 and is also only a rookie 2nd round draft pick…. This is how teams tank for better draft position.  That is exactly how.  They can play SG Josh Giddey (he may not because of injury), the can play PG Shai Gilgeous Alexander, they can play SF Darius Bazley all of whom are young and very talented in order to develop them… Then as long as they get one or two of the other spots completely wrong… they won’t win many games… and the players can’t be accused of not trying.  

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The Kings are 22-40 on the season, but 28-34 ATS.  They have logged 31 Overs, 30 Unders, and 1 Push.  They are 7-22 in road games.

The Thunder are 19-41 on the season, but 36-20-4 ATS.  They have notched 26 Overs, 33 Unders, and 1 Push.  They are 9-20 in home games.

Our prediction for Monday, February 28th is….   Kings 118 - Thunder 99

The Kings will get a win just like they did last time these teams faced off.  The Thunder can not afford to drop games to an actual competitor for the NBA Draft Lottery.  Look for a lot of 6’4 rookie shooting guards trying to play defense on 6’10 power forward Domantas Sabonis in the paint.  Plus Giddey and Dort are out with injury… plus a group of nobodies.

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Sacramento is 53-47 ATS versus OKC since 1996.

Sacramento is 27-21 ATS versus OKC at OKC since 1996.

Kings:  PF Richaun Holmes (back) Quest ** SG Terence Davis II (wrist) Out 

Thunder: SG Josh Giddey (hip) Out ** SG Luguentz Dort (shoulder) Quest ** PF Mike Muscala (ankle) Out 

Kings: PF Maurice Harkless, SF Harrison Barnes, C Domantas Sabonis, PG De”Aaron Fox, SG Justin Holiday

Thunder: SF Darius Bazley, PF Aaron Wiggins, C Isaiah Roby, PG Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, SG Tre Mann

Kings

Points: De’Aaron Fox 21.8

Assists: Tyrese Haliburton 7.4

Rebounds: Domantas Sabonis 12.7

Steals: Tyrese Haliburton 1.7

Blocks: Jeremy Lamb 1.3

Thunder

Points: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander 23.2

Assists: Josh Giddey 6.4

Rebounds: Josh Giddey 7.8

Steals: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander 1.2

Blocks: Darius Bazley 1.1

Kings: Alvin Gentry

Thunder: Mark Daigenault