Kings vs Raptors Odds, Picks, Predictions | NBA Betting Preview (Wednesday, March 20)

Things have already been rather depressing for the Toronto Raptors, who enter play on Wednesday off the back of seven straight losses. Now, they're in a world of trouble against a trendy Sacramento Kings team.

With injuries mounting on both sides, how do we handicap this rather straightforward matchup?

Let's break down the Kings vs. Raptors odds and make a pick and prediction in our NBA betting preview for Wednesday, March 20.

First and foremost, the Kings will be without Trey Lyles for a fourth straight game and will also be without starting guard Kevin Huerter, who's nursing a shoulder injury.

The injury to the former isn't nearly as significant here considering Lyles is a depth guy in the frontcourt. But in Huerter, the Kings are missing a player who's been in the top 20% of the league in estimated offensive impact over the last two seasons, according to Dunks and Threes.

That's going to be significant for a Kings team that has taken the fourth-most 3-pointers per 100 possessions, according to Cleaning the Glass, but ranks just 20th in shooting accuracy this month at a poor 34.8%.

It's over two percentage points worse than their already-middling success rate for the season, and without the pair of Huerter and Lyles, Sacramento is now down two of its best shooters.

The good news here is that the Kings will not only be going up against a Raptors team that has allowed opponents to shoot 40.1% from 3 in March, but they should also hold a rare edge on the defensive side of the ball.

Believe it or not, this team ranks sixth in points allowed per 100 possessions this month, doing the brunt of its work in the frontcourt, where Sacramento ranks ninth in defending the rim.

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The Raptors already have the proverbial fork stuck in them here, ranking dead last in scoring efficiency this month now that they've cleared their roster a bit by trading away OG Anunoby and Pascal Siakam.

New additions RJ Barrett, Immanuel Quickley and Bruce Brown have had their moments, but overall, this team has fallen well short on both ends of the floor.

Toronto's defense has arguably been the biggest liability given it's forced this team to launch a ton of shots from deep with inconsistent shooting options.

Now, the Raptors will be playing without Quickley and Barrett here, who will sit on the bench alongside a duo in Scottie Barnes and Jakob Poeltl that has been missing for the last few weeks.

This means we'll see a lot more of Brown, who's in the midst of a down season on the defensive end, and Gradey Dick, who has started the last five games and responded with a poor 30.4% shooting output from 3.

While Sacramento may not be the best 3-point defense in the world — which could complicate things a bit against a team that has made a habit of taking a ton of shots from deep — Toronto's only real path to offense has come at the rim, where it's fourth in shooting accuracy this month.

Given the improvements made up front by the Kings, it's going to be very hard for this shorthanded Raptors side to score the ball.

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Allow me to humor you for a moment after painting a rather bleak picture of what might happen here with the Raptors.

The Kings have been decidedly worse on the road this season, watching their shooting numbers drop by nearly two full percentage points. While their defense has actually been a bit better, it's clear this is not quite the same team offensively.

Sacramento, however, is 8-6 against the spread as a road favorite, while Toronto is 5-11 as a home underdog. The Raptors have also covered just twice in the last 10 games, so while the season-long trends may point us in one direction, I think the last few weeks will tell the real story of this game.

The Kings are down two good shooters, but they're still healthy around those absences and have showcased some excellent defense in the face of some strong competition.

They shouldn't have too much of an issue shooting against one of the worst perimeter defenses in the NBA at the current moment, particularly with how poorly Brown has played defensively compared to seasons past.

I'm comfortable laying the points here with the Kings on the road, something that has been shockingly rewarding this season.

Pick: Kings -11.5