Kings vs Thunder Prediction, Odds, Pick Today | NBA Betting Preview

Here's everything you need to know about Kings vs. Thunder on Tuesday, April 9 — our expert prediction and betting pick for today's game.

With four games remaining in the regular season, the Kings and Thunder are running out of time to improve their position in the Western Conference standings. The good news is that both teams can make a big jump with just one win.

Sacramento is currently the eighth seed, but it's only one game behind the sixth-seeded Suns. Oklahoma City sits in third in the conference and one game behind the top-seeded Timberwolves.

However, the Kings and Thunder are 5-5 in their last 10 games. Thus, something's got to give when the two teams meet in Oklahoma City on Tuesday night.

The recent lackluster play from both teams makes picking a side somewhat risky. Instead, I prefer to target a player prop that might offer less variance than we'd expect in this matchup.

The Kings have to play differently due to injuries to two key players.

On Mar. 18, shooting guard Kevin Huerter injured his left shoulder and would undergo season-ending surgery. Then, on Mar. 29, super-sub Malik Monk sprained his right MCL, sidelining him for four-to-six weeks.

Monk and Huerter account for 21.4% of Sacramento's scoring this season.

Huerter, in particular, was vital to the Kings' floor spacing due to his perimeter threat. He shoots 60.2% of his field goal attempts from behind the 3-point line.

Since his injury, the Kings have scored 109.5 points per game — 7.2 points below their season average of 116.7.

Another reason Sacramento is scoring fewer points is that it's playing at a slower pace. After averaging 100 possessions per 48 minutes for much of the season, the Kings are down to roughly 96 possessions since Huerter's injury.

As a result, it can be tricky predicting which Kings team will show up on a nightly basis without their full roster intact.

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Oklahoma City has also had to navigate injuries to two vital players on its team. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (quad) and Jalen Williams (ankle) have missed the Thunder's last four games, with OKC going just 1-3 during that stretch.

At times, it looked like Gilgeous-Alexander and Williams were trending toward playing but were ultimately listed as inactive by the Thunder.

It remains unclear whether OKC was being cautious or perhaps angling for a particular seeding that might enhance the team's chances for a deep playoff run.

In the NBA, you can never be too quick to rule out anything that can give a team an edge.

One team the Thunder could want to avoid is the Lakers. Los Angeles sits ninth in the conference, 1.5 games behind the sixth-seeded Suns.

Should the Lakers fail to finish in the top six, they'll have to earn their spot in the playoffs by advancing through the Play-In Tournament. If they're successful, they'll either be the seventh or eighth seed.

The Lakers are a team the Thunder could struggle against, given their size on the interior with Anthony Davis. It's worth noting that Oklahoma City is just 1-3 against L.A. this season.

Thus, it's not entirely out of the question that the Thunder might sacrifice finishing as one of the top two seeds to avoid a possible first-round matchup with the Lakers.

One thing we can count on at this point of the season is that players will be motivated by self-interest. Sacramento's Domantas Sabonis is a player who could be vying for an All-NBA team selection.

Sabonis holds the record for the most consecutive double-doubles (61) since the NBA and ABA merged in 1976. He also leads the league with the most triple-doubles (26) this season. Denver's Nikola Jokic is second on the list with 25.

Sabonis nearly had another triple-double in Sunday's 107-77 victory over the Nets in Brooklyn. The Kings' power forward scored 18 points and 20 rebounds but finished with nine assists.

He should fancy his chances to fill up the stats sheet against a Thunder team he's already registered two triple-doubles against this season.

Perhaps there's a bit of bad blood against Oklahoma City, considering the team traded Sabonis to the Indiana Pacers after his rookie season.

OKC is an interesting matchup for Sabonis because part of the Kings' strategy would be to lure the OKC power forward away from the paint to create more high-percentage shots near the rim.

Meanwhile, Sacramento is very skilled at utilizing back-door cuts to attack the rim when Sabonis is at the top of the key.

As a result, there's value here in playing Sabonis' assists prop over 8.5.

Pick: Domantas Sabonis Over 8.5 Assists (+105 at DraftKings)

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