The Detroit Pistons (23-6) and Sacramento Kings (7-22) will face off in the NBA tonight. Tipoff is set for 10:00 p.m. ET from the Golden 1 Center in Sacramento, California. The game will broadcast live on FDSDET.
The Pistons are 8.5-point favorites over the Kings on the spread (Pistons -8.5), with the over/under set at 227.5 total points. The Pistons are -380 favorites to win outright on the moneyline, while the Kings are +300 to pull off the upset.
Let's get into my Pistons vs. Kings predictions and NBA picks for Tuesday, December 23.
Pistons vs Kings Prediction, Picks
- Pistons vs Kings pick: Pistons -8.5 (-115)
My Pistons vs Kings best bet is on Detroit to cover the spread, with the best price currently available at DraftKings. However, make sure to find the best odds by checking our live NBA odds page.
Pistons vs Kings Odds
| Pistons Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-8.5 -115 | 227.5 -112o / -108u | -380 |
| Kings Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+8.5 -105 | 227.5 -112o / -108u | +300 |
Pistons vs Kings NBA Preview
Last night, the Pistons opened their West Coast road trip with a 110-102 victory over the Trail Blazers. They were able to hang on despite letting a 21-point lead slip away in the fourth quarter.
It didn’t help matters that Cade Cunningham fouled out early in the fourth. He finished with 14 points and nine assists in 26 minutes and should be relatively fresh after not logging a full workload.
Jalen Duren led the way with 26 points and 10 rebounds, while Ausar Thompson added 18 points and 12 boards. Thompson also played a significant role in limiting Deni Avdija to 18 points on 4-for-12 shooting.
Off the bench, Jaden Ivey scored 11 points, marking his seventh game in double figures this season.
For Detroit, returning to Sacramento is a full-circle moment in its turnaround. Last year, the Pistons came to Sacramento at 13-17 and won 114-113 on a game-winning four-point play by Ivey.
Even after his season-ending injury, the team was able to snap its playoff drought before pushing the Knicks to six games in the first round.
Over the past calendar year, the Pistons are 56-26 in the regular season. They enter tonight ranked ninth in offensive rating and second in defensive rating, though perimeter shooting remains a question mark.
As for the Kings, they will continue to play without Domantas Sabonis, whose timeline has been extended at least another month as he recovers from a knee injury. Zach LaVine will also miss his fourth straight game with an ankle injury.
Despite being without two of their top three scorers, Sacramento snapped a five-game losing streak with a 133-128 overtime win over the Rockets.
Second-round pick Maxime Raynaud has been one of the positives to emerge this season. As a starter, the rookie is averaging 15.1 points and 9.9 rebounds per game, and he scored a season-high 29 against Portland last Thursday.
One thing this game likely won’t feature is high three-point volume. The Pistons rank 28th in three-point attempts per game, while the Kings sit 29th.
Pistons vs Kings Prediction, Betting Analysis
The Pistons enter tonight’s game having won eight of their last 10 games, but covering in just five of them. They have struggled at times to cover larger spreads because they attack the paint relentlessly, scoring far more by twos than threes.
However, this is likely a matchup where they don’t lose the three-point battle by much, if at all. Russell Westbrook and DeMar DeRozan both prefer to operate from the mid-range and in the paint.
Detroit’s biggest advantage should come on the defensive end. The Pistons rank second in defensive rating, while Sacramento sits 28th.
Considering Cunningham is unlikely to have two below-average games (by his standards) in a row, I like Detroit to win this one by at least nine points.
Cunningham has recorded eight assists in 16 of his last 20 games. The Kings rank 22nd in assists allowed to point guards this season, and Cunningham dished out 10 assists in last year’s win in Sacramento.
Last year’s hero, Ivey, has scored at least 10 points in four of his last six games. He’s averaging nine points per game over that span and has cleared 7.5 in five of those contests.
Fresh off his third double-double of the season, Thompson has grabbed at least six rebounds in seven of his last 10 games. That matches his season average, a mark he’s hit at a 60% clip this year. Sacramento ranks 26th in rebounds allowed this season.
Pick: Pistons -8.5 (-115)
Pistons vs Kings Parlay Picks
- Cade Cunningham 8+ Assists
- Jaden Ivey 8+ Points
- Ausar Thompson 6+ Rebounds
Parlay Odds: +266 via DraftKings
Spread
My Kings vs Pistons betting prediction is on Detroit to cover the spread at -8.5.
Moneyline
No play on the moneyline.
Over/Under
I'm staying away from the total in this game.
