Kings vs Lakers Odds, Spread and Predictions

• The Kings face the Lakers on Tuesday, January 4th
• This will be the third meeting of the season between Sacramento and LA
• Find the odds, preview, and prediction below

The Sacramento King take a trip down south for a Western Conference matchup with LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers on Tuesday, January 4th. Tip-off is scheduled for 10:30pm ET at Crypto.com Arena.

Sacramento just beat the Miami Heat on Sunday night in a 115-113 thriller behind a team-high 26 points from Buddy Hield off the bench. As for LA, They won their second straight, taking down the Minnesota Timberwolves at home.

Kings vs Lakers Odds

Odds as of January 3rd at FanDuel.

These two teams have already met twice this season, winning once apiece. Their most recent matchup saw the Lakers blow out the Kings by 25 points. Los Angeles enters Tuesday as a 7.5-point home favorite, but they’re just 7-15 ATS at home in 2021/22. Sacramento meanwhile, is a mere 11-15 as an ATS underdog.

Kings Look to End Road Skid

The Kings are 5-5 in their last 10 games, which is certainly respectable. But, Alvin Gentry’s group has lost four consecutive contests on the road, with the Warriors most recently beating them up in the Bay Area on December 20th.

Sacramento should have some much-needed confidence heading into LA though, after grabbing a crucial victory against a very solid Heat team over the weekend.

https://twitter.com/SacramentoKings/status/1478169632573833218

Miami had most of their main players available, most notably Jimmy Butler, Tyler Herro, and Kyle Lowry. However, that didn’t stop the Kings from going to work.

The impressive ball movement resulted in very good looks, shooting 51% from the field and 38% from downtown, with Hield making it rain. The sharpshooter collected 21 of his 26 points via the triple and simply couldn’t miss. De’Aaron Fox also played well, dropping 24 points and dishing out six dimes.

This contest came right down to the wire, but Fox was ultimately the difference-maker. He sank a pair of crucial free-throws to put Sacramento up 115-113 with just seconds left, then the defense clamped down and found a vital stop on Butler, who narrowly failed to tie the game with a floater in the paint. The Kings will be looking to carry the momentum into LA.

LeBron Leading The Charge

One of the biggest storylines in the NBA right now is how well LeBron is playing at 37 years old. The King just showed out for 30+ points in seven straight appearances before dropping just 26 (still impressive) in the Lakers’ win over the Timberwolves on Sunday. James is now averaging 28.5 points per night, which is the second-most in the Association aside from Brooklyn Nets star Kevin Durant.

LeBron James over the last 7 Games:

35.3 PPG
9.9 RPG
6.0 APG
2.0 SPG
1.4 BPG
57% FG
44% 3P

👑 pic.twitter.com/ZsR2rv6GAk

— Hoop Central (@TheHoopCentral) January 3, 2022

Although Bron is in his bag, it hasn’t exactly resulted in wins for Los Angeles. Without Anthony Davis, Frank Vogel’s squad is missing a massive piece on both ends of the floor.

But, if the last two games are any indication, the Lakers could be heading in the right direction. They’re finally at .500 again after Sunday’s victory and James received some help.

Malik Monk posted 22 points and drained four treys, while Russell Westbrook had 20, but he did turn the ball over nine times, which continues to be a huge problem for him. It was a back and forth contest, with Minny actually destroying LA in the paint, outrebounding and outscoring them by an alarming rate.

But, the Lakers managed to hang in there and convert some huge baskets down the stretch in the final quarter, with the Wolves struggling to score when it mattered most.

Kings vs Lakers Prediction

The Lakers are playing gritty basketball right now and with LeBron playing at such a high level, he’s truly setting the tone for the rest of the rotation. LA is also a tad better at home, posting a 12-10 record. The Kings’ last three losses have come by an average of 19 points. That being said, the spread looks good here for Los Angeles.

Pick: Lakers -7.5 (-110)