The red-hot Dallas Mavericks can go for a double-kill of the Sacramento Kings in a matter of days when these teams meet this weekend. The Mavs have cracked the top six in the West with a scorching late-season run, but can they sustain that when they meet with the revenge-seeking Kings? Or, will Sacramento make the race in the West more interesting with a victory?
Catch this game live on Saturday, March 30, 2024 at 10:00 AM, Manila time
Away: Dallas Mavericks (43-29, 21-14 Away)
Projected Starting Five:
- Luka Doncic (Questionable)
- Kyrie Irving
- Derrick Jones Jr.
- P.J. Washington
- Daniel Gafford
It seems like the Mavs have figured things out with their roster which got rejigged a little with the arrival of PJ Washington and Daniel Gafford. Dallas has won nine of its last nine games and all of its last five, including a 132-96 destruction of the Kings on the road last Wednesday.
In that game, Dallas shot 55.4 percent from the floor with Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving providing 28 and 24 points respectively. Perhaps even more impressive for the Mavs was how they held the high-scoring Kings squad to only below 100 points on 38.9 FG%. The Mavs had Domantas Sabonis and De’Aaron Fox combining for just 9/28 shooting from the field. Over the last five games, the Mavs have allowed just 102.0 points and 43.0 FG% – both second-best in the entire NBA in that same span.
Home: Sacramento Kings (42-30, 21-14 Home)
Projected Starting Five:
- De’Aaron Fox
- Keon Ellis
- Harrison Barnes
- Keegan Murray
- Domantas Sabonis
The Kings will look to rebound right away from that embarrassing loss to Dallas. Sacramento is one of the best in the NBA this season when it comes to turning things around after a debacle, as evidenced by the fact that the Kings are 19-10 straight up in games following a loss. The Kings are also 18-11 against the spread in those contests.
Even though they got muzzled by Dallas’ defense the last time out, the Kings remain a dangerous team on offense. They are ninth overall with 117.3 points per game and seventh with 28.5 assists per outing. Sacramento will have to do better on the glass this Saturday after getting outrebounded by the Mavs on Wednesday, 49-42. After shooting horribly in the last game, Fox and Sabonis are hoping to shoot more efficiently this Saturday – just like they did when Sacramento defeated the Mavs in Dallas back in December, 129-113. Sabonis went 13/15 from the floor for 32 points and Fox shot 10/20 for 30 points in that game, while the Kings, as a whole, connected on over 53% of their attempts.
PICKS:
Spread: Sacramento Kings (-1.5)
Over/Under: Over (230.0).
Stanton Klocko