The Sacramento Kings (20-25) take on the visiting Chicago Bulls (25-19) at Sleep Train Arena. The game starts at 10:00 pm ET on Wednesday, Feb. 3 and can be seen on WGN and CSA.
The Kings lost to the Trail Blazers 112-97 the last time they played. Willie Cauley-Stein had a good outing for Sacramento, putting up 12 points, seven rebounds, and four blocks. The Bulls, meanwhile, are coming off an 89-84 loss at the hands of the Heat in their last outing. Chicago still lost despite the best efforts of Pau Gasol, who recorded his 25th double-double of the season with 19 points and 17 rebounds.
DeMarcus Cousins has been playing at a high level over the last five games for the Kings. During that stretch, he has averaged 36.2 points, 12.4 rebounds, 3.6 assists, 1.2 steals, 1.0 block, and 0.6 three-pointers.
The Kings enter the game with records of 21-27 Straight Up (SU) and 23-24-1 Against The Spread (ATS). They have a record of 11-7 SU and 10-8 ATS versus the Eastern Conference. The Kings have one of the most prolific home offenses in the entire league, averaging 106.6 points per game. Sacramento is one of the best passing teams in the league with an average of 24.8 assists per game. An area where the Kings are particularly strong is defensive rebounding where they average 34.9 defensive rebounds per game, fourth in the NBA.
Over on the other bench, Chicago has a SU record of 26-21 and an ATS record of 18-29. Chicago has been particularly bad ATS over its past 10 matchups, going 3-7. The Bulls allow very few three-pointers on defense with 7.0 given up per game. Blocking shots is an area where Chicago has excelled. The Bulls average 6.1 blocks per game, making them one of the best in the league.
This game marks the first time these teams will play this season. The last time the Kings and the Bulls played, Chicago won, bringing its SU record in the past 10 games to 7-3. However, the Kings lead the matchup ATS with a record of 6-4.
Predictions: SU Winner – Chi
Notes
Sacramento is 1-3-1 ATS in its last 5 games.
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Sacramento’s last 5 games.
Sacramento is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games.
The total has gone UNDER in 14 of Sacramento’s last 21 games at home.
Sacramento is 4-10 SU in its last 14 games when playing Chicago.
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Sacramento’s last 6 games when playing Chicago.
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Sacramento’s last 7 games when playing at home against Chicago.
Sacramento is 12-4 SU in its last 16 games when playing at home against Chicago.
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Chicago’s last 7 games when playing on the road against Sacramento.
Chicago ranks 17th in points per game with 101.3, while Sacramento ranks 30th in points allowed with an average of 108.1 given up.
Sacramento ranks 30th in points allowed per home game (106.6 PPG), while Chicago ranks seventh in points per away game with 102.8.
In games where they allow fewer than 100 points, the Chicago Bulls are a superb 19-3. In games where they score fewer than 100 points, the Sacramento Kings have an underachieving record of 3-13.
Chicago is a poor 6-16 when it allows 100 or more points. Sacramento has a 17-12 record when it puts up triple digits.
The Bulls have an offensive rating of 101.3 (ranked 26th), while the Kings rank 22nd for their defensive rating of 105.6.
The Sacramento Kings have one of the best field goal percentages this season, ranking sixth in the league with a FG% of 46.1%. When their opponents record a similar or higher FG%, the Chicago Bulls are winless with a 0-7 record.
On average, the Sacramento Kings attempt 22.0 three point field goals per game and the Chicago Bulls attempt 21.0 per game. In games where they attempt at least 25 threes, Sacramento is 5-7, while Chicago has a losing record of 3-6.
The Sacramento Kings, with an assist to turnover ratio of 1.55, rank 16th in the NBA. The Chicago Bulls have a lower A/TO (1.55), ranking 17th.
Chicago is the best rebounding team in the NBA this season with 48.9 per game. On the other side, Sacramento is in the top half of the league, ranking sixth with 45.7 per game.
The Sacramento Kings are among the best defensive rebounding teams in the league (ranked fourth). Ranked fifth, the Chicago Bulls are one of the top-ranked offensive rebounding teams.
The Sacramento Kings’ opponents have an average turnover percentage of 14.6% this season. The Chicago Bulls are 7-9 SU when their TOV% is 14.6% or higher.
