The New York Knicks take an impressive 9-1 hot streak into their Thursday night showdown against the Sacramento Kings. New York lost its first game in weeks on Tuesday and played their way into the fifth seed in the East ahead of the Brooklyn Nets. Meanwhile, the Kings continue to prove their detractors wrong and sit in second, tied with the Memphis Grizzlies seven games behind the Denver Nuggets.
The NBA lines favor the home team with Sacramento -2½ point favorites for Thursday.
Knicks Surging Toward Playoffs
Despite losing their most recent game against a poor Charlotte Hornets unit, the Knicks won their previous nine games and have just three losses since the end of January. They beat the deadly Boston Celtics twice in two weeks and are playing like a championship contender. With NBA Finals odds at +6500, the Knicks are a potential high-value dark horse to make a run.
New York’s offense exploded during its 10-game surge with an average of 122.4 points per game, a shooting percentage over 50% from the field, and 38.9% from behind the arc.
The Knicks’ surge extends to their betting results, and New York has by far the best NBA record against the spread (ATS), going 9-1 in its last ten games. New York boasts a 71.82% return on investment (ROI) in that span, with an impressive profit of +7.90 units.
PG Jalen Brunson highlights the NBA news regarding the Knicks’ injuries. The team’s second-leading scorer, and best facilitator, is questionable with a foot injury.
Sacramento Offense Continues to Dominate
DeAron Fox leads the current second-highest-scoring offense in the NBA with 25.5 PPG and 6.6 dimes per game. Fox, and the rest of this talented unit, led the Kings to an impressive 6-1 record in their last seven games, with two wins over the Los Angeles Clippers and one against the Portland Trail Blazers.
Sacramento is also surging ATS with a 6-4 record in its previous ten games. While its overall ATS record is solid, it only tells half the story. For whatever reason, the Kings struggle big time with covering spreads on their home court. At the Golden 1 Center, Sacramento is 4-6 ATS in their last ten games with an ROI of -23.64%.
The Kings lead the NBA in scoring with an average of 121.1 points per game, but their defense needs to improve if Sacramento hopes to make a run at the crown. The NBA betting lines for their shot to win it all are +10000 despite their dangerous offense and rank in the standings.
Knicks vs Kings Head-to-Head
The Knicks are riding a four-game winning streak against the Kings, with New York listed as the NBA betting lines favorite in three of those games. Sacramento hasn’t covered a game against the Knicks in over two years and has just one ATS win since 2019.
Knicks vs Kings Game Information
- Game: Knicks (39-28) vs Kings (38-26)
- Location Golden 1 Center, Sacramento, CA
- Day/Time: Thursday, March 9, 10:00 p.m. ET
- Knicks vs Kings Live stream: NBA Game Pass
Knicks vs Kings Betting Lines
Knicks vs Kings Picks and Prediction
The Knicks may have dropped a game to the weak Hornets on Tuesday, but they’re still the better overall team that plays offense and defense well. Sacramento’s offense is enough most nights, but our NBA picks on Thursday will be on the Knicks’ side.
The Sacramento Kings are listed at -145 in our Vegas NBA lines. If you wager $100 on the Kings, you can win $69. The New York Knicks are +125, offering a chance to win $125 on a $100 wager.
The implied probability attached to the betting lines gives the Kings a 59.18% chance to win, with the Knicks at 44.44%.
