The Washington Wizards (10-29) and Sacramento Kings (11-30) 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 NBCS-CA.
The Kings are 6.5-point favorites over the Wizards on the spread, with the over/under set at 232.5 total points. Sacramento is a 71-cent favorite to win outright, while Washington is priced at 30 cents to pull off the upset on Fanatics Markets.
Let's get into my Wizards vs. Kings predictions and NBA picks for Friday, January 16.
Wizards vs Kings Prediction
- Wizards vs Kings pick: Kings -6.5
My Wizards vs Kings best bet is on Sacramento to cover the spread at -6.5, but make sure to find the best odds by checking our live NBA odds page.
Wizards vs Kings Odds
Wizards vs Kings NBA Preview
The Kings are playing the best basketball they've played all year, riding a three-game winning streak and starting to look like a different team than the one we saw for most of the season.
Meanwhile, Washington continues to send mixed signals. They picked up a few wins in December, briefly teased some optimism, and then quickly snapped back into full rebuild mode.
The Wizards haven't exactly been subtle about it, but at least they're honest about what they're doing.
There are also broader roster dynamics at play. Trey Johnson is getting valuable minutes as he finds his footing in the league, which speaks to the Wizards' long-term focus rather than short-term results.
On the other side, Domantas Sabonis is back, and Sacramento suddenly looks like a team that could string together wins, especially with Portland looming at home next.
From a standings and trajectory standpoint, these teams aren't moving in the same direction right now.
Wizards vs Kings Prediction, Analysis
This is me closing my eyes and riding the Kings wave, baby.
I never thought I’d say this in 2026, but here we are: I'm laying 6.5 with the Kings against the Wizards.
This was my strongest lean after the three-star and two-star plays I already fired on.
Now, I love Johnson. I think he's going to be great in this league. He's still finding his way and getting a ton of valuable minutes, so I don't take any joy in this. But the numbers are what they are.
- When Johnson plays more than 15 minutes, the Wizards are 12-20 ATS (38%).
- When he plays more than 20 minutes, they're 8-18 ATS (31%).
- When he plays more than 25 minutes, Washington is 4-11 ATS (27%).
Every number I have is screaming, "You should bet the Wizards. You should bet the Wizards moneyline. You should look at a Wizards alt line", because that's how bad the Kings have been for most of the season.
But I'm absolutely not trying to catch a falling knife, and I'm absolutely not backing this Wizards team. It also helps when a team is clearly trying to lose.
Quietly, the Kings might be the best play on the board. If Deni Avdija is out on Sunday, they could win five in a row. No Khris Middleton either.
The Bottom line is, this could easily turn into a double-digit win for the Kings.
Pick: Kings -6.5
