Sacramento Seeks to Be Kings of the West ( Betting Odds Analysis)

At the onset of the season, the gambling public expected little regarding the Sacramento Kings.  But those NBA betting perceptions are rapidly changing.  The Kings remained among the worst teams in the NBA for the longest time.  From a gambling perspective, it is hard to imagine a team in any sport that was more anonymous and unappealing than the Kings.  Sacramento had done nothing to show gamblers that better days were ahead.  But what they have accomplished this season has been fascinating.  Sacramento is in the race for the top seed in the West.

2022-23 NBA Futures Sacramento Kings

NBA Championship CashBet Odds:  +10000

Western Conference Championship CashBet Odds:  +3600

Pacific Division Championship CashBet Odds:  +200

Sacramento Kings CashBet Wagering Analysis  

Point guard De’Aaron Fox is a key online sportsbook asset for Sacramento.  Fox was the 5^th overall pick of the 2017 NBA Draft and has spent his entire career with Sacramento.  Previously, Fox was another of a long line of players that were one-and-done stars with the Kentucky Wildcats.  He is the face of the Sacramento franchise.

The Sacramento Kings are 29-23 straight up, 28-23-1 against the spread, and 23-28 over/under the betting on NBA total.  Overall, Sacramento has NBA rankings of 1^st for scoring offense, 3^rd for field goal percentage, 12^th for 3-point field goal percentage, 9^th for free throw percentage, and 23^rd for offensive rebounding.  While defensively, Sacramento has NBA rankings of 23^rd for scoring defense, 27^th for field goal percentage permitted, 20^th for 3-point field goal percentage allowed, and 7^th for defensive rebounding.

Late on, Sacramento has covered two out of their last six games.  At the same time, the Kings have gone under the total in six of its previous seven pro basketball betting matchups.  Concurrently, Sacramento is 3^rd in the Western Conference playoff standings.  Sacramento is seven games behind the Denver Nuggets in the Western Conference playoff race.  First among Sacramento scorers is De’Aaron Fox, with 24.3 points per game.  Also, Domantas Sabonis adds 7.0 assists and 12.4 rebounds per contest.

Since 1997, head coach Mike Brown, age 52, has been an assistant and head coach in the NBA.  Brown was the 2009 NBA coach of the year with the Cleveland Cavaliers.  This is Brown’s first season as head coach of the Kings.  Overall, Brown has a career regular season record of 376-237 for a .613 win percentage.  In the NBA Playoffs, Brown is 47-36 with a .566 win percentage.

On one end of the NBA gambling spectrum are the Los Angeles Lakers and Boston Celtics.  In sum, both share the distinction of winning 17 NBA championships.  And then, on the other end wallowing in the darkness of the abyss, are the Sacramento Kings.  Sure, the Kings won the 1951 NBA title as the Rochester Royals.  But futility has been the rule rather than the exception since then.

The Kings have operated in Sacramento since 1985 and had one era of glory from 1999 through 2006.  To illuminate, they posted eight consecutive winning seasons and playoff berths with an appearance in the Western Conference Finals in 2002.

That 2002 series against the Los Angeles Lakers went down in infamy.  Cause by many fans and gamblers seeing questionable officiating, to put it delicately.  Many have commented in far stronger terms that the Association preferred the Lakers in the Finals instead of the Kings.  Except for that eight-year run, the Kings have never made the playoffs since.  Nor have they produced a winning season.  But this season, that streak should end.

Previously, under then-head coach Luke Walton, the Kings made strides in overall improvement and competition level.  Most important of all, they have, at times, shown a profit at the payout window.  All of this makes for fans’ modest hopes for an eventual playoff bid someday.  However, veteran gamblers are far more skeptical as the Kings have traditionally been one of the biggest longshots on the NBA Futures Odds board.