Upcoming Match-ups

Kings Provided Best ROI as Home Favorite Last Season; Laying 7 Points Against Charlotte Tonight

Eric Rosales

by Eric Rosales in NBA Basketball

Updated Apr 9, 2020 · 3:07 PM PDT

Buddy Hield putting his finger over his mouth
The Sacramento Kings are looking for their first win of the season. They'll try to earn it against the visiting Hornets. Photo from @TheNBACentral (Twitter).
  • Winless Sacramento Kings host 1-win Charlotte Hornets
  • Kings were a stellar 14-3 straight up as a home favorite
  • Get the odds, our pick, and all the info you need to bet the game below

Two teams that have stumbled out of the gate will look to move the needle in a positive direction Wednesday night in NorCal, as the Charlotte Hornets visit the Sacramento Kings. Both teams have combined for a single win this season, and minus a Hornets opening game win, have posted seven consecutive losses between them.

Charlotte Hornets vs Sacramento Kings Odds

Team Moneyline Spread Over/Under
Charlotte Hornets +250 +7 (+100) Over 223.5 (-110)
Sacramento Kings -295 -7 (-120) Under 223.5 (-110)

*Odds taken October 29

Last year, the Kings were an extremely profitable 14-3 straight up as a home favorite, and were 11-6 against the spread. How will they fare in their first home tilt as the frontrunner? Let’s break down the Hornets vs Kings odds, and find the best bet.

Kings Have Yet to Hold Court

One of the really great stories from a year ago, the up-and-coming Kings seemed to be on the cusp of something: they finished 39-43 in a tough Western Conference and just missed the playoffs with a team most people didn’t want to face.

That seems like eons ago right now. The Kings have started out 0-4, and in the new, score-happy NBA, they’ve broken 100 points once. They are dead last in scoring in the league at 95.5 points per game, and are just one of two teams shooting under 40% from the field.

This is a far cry from the high-octane Kings squad that was featured a season ago. Under now-deposed head coach Dave Joerger, they were the ninth-highest scoring team in basketball, pumping in 114.2 points a contest on a healthy 46.4% shooting.

Here’s hoping that their dynamic young backcourt gets cooking shortly. Freshly-inked Buddy Hield has yet to find the range, averaging just 14.3 points a contest on 35.1% shooting and 37.5% from deep, after scoring than 20 a game a year ago on nearly 46% shooting from the field and better than 42% from beyond the arc.

De’Aaron Fox looked poised to have a leap year, but so far the point blur is down about a point and and nearly two assists per game, while averaging nearly a full turnover more a contest (3.5).

Hornets Getting Worked Out West

It’s not been a pleasant trip West for Charlotte. After hanging with both LA teams, their talent deficiency started to shine, and they faded into double-digit losses to the Lakers and Clippers on back-to-back nights – this after getting crushed at home by the surprising T’Wolves by 22.

Charlotte didn’t do much to make up for the loss of Kemba Walker, rather allowing their young core to develop, and also letting them take their lumps.

Terry Rozier has delivered on the high-volume, low-input prediction he was tabbed with coming over from Boston. He’s scoring 13.5 points a game on 40.4% shooting from the field, while averaging 5.5 assists and 3.5 turnovers.

Aside from the steady inside play of Cody Zeller, who’s averaging 13 boards a game, the one bright spot has been the surprising play of second-year guard Devonte’ Graham. The second round pick out of Kansas is leading the team in scoring (17.5) and assists (7.3), and his making much of his hay with a smooth jumper. He’s shooting 53.6% from beyond the arc on an average of eight three-point attempts per game. 

What’s the Best Bet?

The schedule makers have not been kind to both teams. Under new head coach Luke Walton, the Kings have had to compete within the West, losing against very accomplished squads in Denver, Utah and Portland, and the upstart Suns have proven to not be a slouch. This will be their first home game as a favorite, and I think they’ll need just one game to see the ball go through the hope consistently to feel good about themselves. On paper, they really are better than their record.

The Hornets have shown flashes of strong play, but this is not a squad that can consistently hang with more talented teams.

Despite Charlotte losing by an average of 18.6 points per game in their last three, I’m wary of an 0-4 team giving points. Let’s stick with the moneyline.

The pick: Kings (-295)

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