The Washington Wizards try to get their first win in five games when they host the Sacramento Kings on Wednesday night. Washington has dropped four in a row, including its last three at home.
Sacramento is also on a losing streak, having dropped the first two games of its current six-game road trip against all Eastern Conference opponents. The Kings are now 15-24 on the season, sitting last in the Pacific Division, 11 1/2 games behind first-place Phoenix.
The Wizards, at 14-24, are in fourth place in the NBA Southeast Division, trailing first-place Miami Heat by seven games. Washington is just 7-13 at home this season.
Let’s check the latest NBA odds, stats, injury reports, and NBA lines for Sacramento Kings vs Washington Wizards. We’ve plenty of NBA betting odds for you to consider.
Still Hurting
The Kings have been dealing with injuries this season, and now they’ve been dealt a blow as forward Marvin Bagley III suffered a fractured hand in Monday’s loss to the Charlotte Hornets. It’s uncertain how long the third-year man will be out of the lineup, but he had just started to put things together, scoring double figures in 14 straight games.
Bagley joins center Hassan Whiteside on the sideline, depleting the Kings’ already thin front line. One player who may benefit is Richaun Holmes, who is starting to develop on the interior. The sixth-year center is averaging career-highs in points (13.5 per game), rebounds (8.7) and blocked shots (1.5), and he should get even more time and touches in the paint.
Other than Holmes, the rest of the healthy Kings are on the perimeter, led by guard De’Aaron Fox. Fox leads the Kings in scoring with 23.6 points per game and assists with 7.6 per contest. He’s joined in the backcourt by Buddy Hield, who is averaging 16.5 points and shooting 37.5% from 3-point range.
Veteran forward Harrison Barnes is second on the team with 16.6 points per game while grabbing 6.2 rebounds per contest. He may have to play more on the interior to help Holmes out.
No Defense
The Wizards have scoring, but they give up too many points to be successful as a team. During the current four-game winning streak, Washington is allowing 128 points per contest, though admittedly, the last three games have been against the Philadelphia 76ers and Milwaukee Bucks (twice).
Offensively, Washington has the top individual scorer in the league in All-Star Bradley Beal. The sharpshooter is scoring 32.3 points per game to go with 5.3 rebounds, 4.6 assists and 1.4 steals per contest.
Russell Westbrook is experiencing a resurgence to his triple-double days with the Oklahoma City Thunder, and he’s been especially hot since the All-Star break, averaging 30.0 points, 12.3 assists, 6.7 rebounds, 3.3 3-pointers and 1.3 steals while shooting 51 percent from the field. On the season, Westbrook is being more efficient, scoring 21.2 points per game on 18.8 shots per game, his lowest averages in both categories since 2015-16.
Second-year forward Rui Hachimura is developing into a third scorer for the Wizards, averaging 13.2 points while grabbing 5.5 rebounds per game. What’s hurting Washington defensively is fouling, as it leads the league, committing 22.5 fouls per game, which doesn’t help with a team that isn’t very deep.
Guard Show
The Kings rely on Fox and Hield to do much of their heavy lifting offensively, while the Wizards have possibly the most explosive backcourt in the league in Beal and Westbrook. This one should be a shootout with both guard combos having big games.
If Holmes can be a presence in the paint, the Kings could make this one a game, but they haven’t shown a lot of ability to close out games. The veteran presence of Beal and Westbrook should be the difference in a close contest.
Kings vs Wizards Betting Pick
When making your NBA betting picks, go with the host Wizards to get the win and cover.
