Kings vs Blazers Odds
The Portland Trail Blazers won their 50th game of the NBA season on April 6 against the New Orleans Pelicans, earning them a playoff berth for the first time since 2011.[ad-4468020]
NBA Free Plays
Sacramento (27-51) @ Portland (50-28)
Wednesday, April 9 10:00 PM ET @ Moda Center
Spread: OFF (As Of 10:15am ET)
Total: OFF (As Of 10:15am ET)
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The Sacramento Kings, on the other hand, are one of the worst three teams in the Western Conference this season with only the lottery to look forward to in the coming months. The caveat here is that Portland has made a bad habit of playing down to its competition.
The Trail Blazers will be favored in this one, and rightfully so, but the question is: Can we trust them to play as well as they’re supposed to?
Sacramento
The Sacramento Kings have a bright future ahead. With talent such as DeMarcus Cousins, Rudy Gay, Isiah Thomas and Ben McLemore leading the way, it’s easy to see how fans can stay excited despite losing.
That said, this is an organization that has no interest in winning the remainder of the year, as an ultra-talented draft could help expedite their ongoing rebuild.
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Against Portland, you know the players on the floor will want to play spoiler even if management doesn’t. The Kings must look to defend the three-point line—a defensive category they’re just 29th in this season.
Sacramento must also look to shut down either LaMarcus Aldridge or Damian Lillard.
Taking both out of the equation is ideal, but more realistically, allowing one to get hot while keeping the other quiet is the best way to balance the two-man attack.
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Portland
While the Blazers have played down to their competition during the second half of the season, recent outcomes trend the other direction.
They recently took down the New Orleans Hornets and Los Angeles Lakers, and while the Phoenix Suns are the unfortunate exception to this list, they’re a squad that has had Portland’s number all year.
The Blazers have gone 2-1 against Sacramento this season. The first two games were decided handedly with Portland winning by double-digits, but the third went in Sacramento’s favor. The Kings walked away victorious to the tune of 123-119, although they did allow Lillard to score a franchise-high 26 points in the fourth quarter.
He also scored a career-high 41 while Portland scored an improbable 46 in the final period.
In this one, the Blazers can’t rely on a massive comeback. It didn’t work on Jan. 7, and chances are, it won’t work on April 9.
If the Blazers can keep a lead late into the final period, the game should be theirs with the playoff seeding more important than ever.
Prediction: Portland 103 – Sacramento 95
