The Sacramento Kings (25-37) will have their chance to bring down the Eastern Conference’s best team when they challenge the Cleveland Cavaliers (44-18) at Sleep Train Arena. The game gets underway at 10:00 pm ET on Wednesday, Mar. 9 and can be seen on FxO and CSA.
The Kings lost a winnable game to the Pelicans 115-112 on Monday. DeMarcus Cousins had a good game in defeat for Sacramento, recording 40 points and 16 rebounds to earn his 38th double-double of the season. The Cavaliers, meanwhile, are coming off a tough 106-103 loss to the Grizzlies on Monday. LeBron James had a good shooting night, leading the game with 28 points.
Kyrie Irving has been on fire over the last five games for the Cavaliers, averaging 23.6 points, 2.8 rebounds, 5.8 assists, 1.2 steals, 0.6 blocks, and 2.8 three-pointers.
When considering effective field goal percentage, the Cavaliers figure to have a substantial advantage on the offensive end. They rank fifth in the NBA in that category at 51.8%, whereas Sacramento’s poor effective field goal percentage defense ranks 28th with opponents connecting at a clip of 52.2%.
This is the second game of the season between these two teams, with the Cavaliers winning the first matchup 120-100. Irving put up 32 points and 12 assists.
The Kings have gone 25-37 Straight Up (SU) and 27-34-1 Against The Spread (ATS). While they boast a record of against Eastern Conference opponents at home, they have struggled to beat the spread in those same games, going 12-18. Over their past 10 games, Sacramento’s defense has been playing lights out, only allowing 98.6 points per game, well under their season average of 109.4.
On the other side, Cleveland has a SU record of 44-18 and an ATS record of 27-33-2. Against the Western Conference, Cleveland is 44-18 SU and 27-33-2 ATS. The Cavaliers are an excellent long-range shooting team with 624 three-point shots made (10.0 per game), ranking fifth in the NBA. The Cavaliers average 97.2 points allowed per game, but have damaged those numbers in the past 10 games, allowing 111.0 points per game during that span. Cleveland’s three-point defense is one of the top in the league, with opponents making only 7.0 shots from the three-point line per game.
In their previous meeting this season, Cleveland beat Sacramento, taking the head-to-head record to an even 5-5 SU over the past 10 meetings. They are also even ATS in their last 10 games.
Predictions: SU Winner – Cle
Notes
On average, Cleveland puts up 103.2 points per game (ranked ninth). Sacramento ranks 30th in points allowed per game with 109.4.
Sacramento ranks 30th in points allowed per home game (107.9 PPG), while Cleveland ranks 16th in points per away game with 100.1.
Sacramento has a fantastic 9-3 record when it gives up under 100 points this season. Cleveland is 11-14 when it scores under 100.
The Sacramento Kings have a subpar 16-34 record in games where they have allowed at least 100 points. The Cleveland Cavaliers are 33-4 when they hit triple digits.
The Kings have an offensive rating of 103.6 (ranked 15th). The Cavaliers rank eighth for their defensive rating of 101.7.
Sacramento averages 103.1 possessions per game, scoring 1.036 points on each possession. While Cleveland averages fewer possessions per game with 95.7, the team scores more points per possession with 1.079.
Sacramento has an average effective field goal percentage of 51.0%, eighth-ranked in the NBA. Cleveland is a solid 18-11 when opponents have a similar or higher effective field goal percentage.
On average, Sacramento attempts 22.0 three pointers and Cleveland attempts 28.0 per game. In games where the teams have 25 or more three point attempts, the Kings have a 7-13 record while the Cavaliers have a winning 29-15 record.
The Sacramento Kings rank 17th with an assist to turnover ratio of 1.55. The Cleveland Cavaliers have a higher A/TO (1.74), ranking seventh.
The Sacramento Kings rebound 45.0 times per game and are ranked seventh. Ranked ninth, the Cleveland Cavaliers rebound 44.8 times per game.
Sacramento is ranked seventh in defensive rebounds, while Cleveland ranks 10th in offensive rebounds.
On average, the Kings force a turnover rate of 15.0%, ranked eighth in the NBA. When the Cavaliers turn over the ball at a similar or higher rate, the team has a winning 13-8 record.
