NBA Odds, Picks, Predictions | Celtics vs Kings Betting Preview

Celtics vs. Kings Odds

The Boston Celtics finish up a six-game road trip on Tuesday night with a stop in Sacramento to take on the Kings.

Boston has fared well so far during this long road trip, going 3-2 through the first five games. However, Boston has slowly fallen from the top of the Eastern Conference and at the time of writing is the No. 3 overall seed.

Sacramento has endured a long road trip over the last week as well, playing five of its last six games away from home. The Kings have played very well during that six-game stretch, and as a result are a top-three team in the West.

Both Boston and Sacramento have played a heavy schedule in recent days, but both squads still have a ton to fight for as less than a handful of games separate both teams from the No. 1 seed in their respective conference.

Here are the odds and prediction for the Boston Celtics vs Sacramento Kings matchup.

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Boston Celtics

The Celtics have been all over the country since March 11th, starting their travels in Atlanta and ending in Sacramento.

The Celtics got off to quite the start in game one of this road trip, defeating Atlanta two Saturdays ago. However, things have been quite up and down since that win.

Boston is 2-2 overall in the last four games, with those two losses coming against two non-playoff teams in the Rockets and Jazz. Boston's declining defensive production has been a factor in these last four games, seeing its Defensive Rating rise to 114.2 from its 111.2 season rating.

The Celtics have also had some struggles on the offensive end in that four-game stretch. Boston has been held to fewer than 110 points in two of those four matchups, and, according to NBA.com, shot just 45.1% from the floor overall and 34.9% from behind the arc in that span. That is a bad sign considering the softer schedule the Celtics have had recently.

Sacramento Kings

The Sacramento Kings are one of the more surprising teams of the season, but as we approach the home stretch the Kings continue to prove that coming out the gates hot was not a fluke.

Take the last seven games, for example. Sacramento is 6-1 during that time, with its only loss coming at the hands of the Milwaukee Bucks. Dominance on the offensive end of the floor has been the key to the Kings' recent success, resulting in the fifth best Offensive Rating in the NBA in the last seven games (119.8).

Sacramento has started to find some consistency from three as well. According to TeamRankings, the Kings rank eighth in the NBA in 3-point percentage at 37.4%, but in the last seven games that percentage has risen to 41.8%. This team could already shoot the three well, but the increase in efficiency makes it far more dangerous down the stretch.

The Kings don't have many shortcomings on offense, but defense has been an issue for a majority of the season. The Kings ranked 24th in Defensive Rating (115.8), but they have improved that rating slightly to 114.0 in the last seven games. That ranks ninth in the NBA in that time.

Celtics-Kings Pick

This will be the second game in two nights for the Kings as they take on the Jazz in Utah on Monday, but I still believe that the Kings are in a good position to cover the spread as a home underdog.

Sacramento has done rather well against the spread on the second night of a back-to-back this season, going 7-5 ATS in those games, according to TeamRankings.

Additionally, Boston's road trip has consisted of playing against five teams with a record below .500, yet the Celtics have still shown signs of vulnerability on both ends of the floor against inferior competition.

I think the Kings returning home will provide them with an extra boost in this one. I like the Kings on the spread here and I would play it to 2.5.

Pick: Kings +4.5 (Bet to +2.5)

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