NBA: Brooklyn Nets vs. Sacramento Kings Preview, Odds, Prediction

The Brooklyn Nets visit the Sacramento Kings tonight. Now, we aren’t surprised to see the Kings losing in streaks, but on the other side, to witness the Nets having five defeats in a row… Well, that is pretty odd. If something doesn’t change fast, we just might see the implosion of one of the biggest super teams ever, if not the biggest. Meanwhile, the Kings fell apart a long time ago, and it seems that the franchise from Sacramento prepares more for the upcoming trade deadline than for the forthcoming events.

Preview

Brooklyn Nets (29-21, -185) lost five games in a row, and are currently sixth in the East, meaning that the next stop might be the play-in tournament. Now, that would be pretty humiliating for the team that was the absolute favorite for the title before the season started. We simply can’t believe that Brooklyn plays like this, regardless of not having Kevin Durant.

The most recent loss was in Phoenix last night, where the Suns won 121-111. The Nets allowed 39 points in the opening quarter, and couldn’t erase that deficit in the remaining three periods. The defense was pretty bad, allowing the Suns to shoot 55.3% from the field.

Kyrie had 26 points with four rebounds and three assists, which isn’t too good for a playmaker. James Harden posted 22 points with 10 dimes and five boards, though shooting pretty pale, 6-for-19. Blake Griffing came off the bench to add 17 buckets, while Patty Mills scored only nine points.

Sacramento Kings (18-34, +160) lost seven in a row, but we need to tell that the previous five were all on the road, vs. bucks, Cs, Hawks, 76ers, and the Knicks. The latter finished 116-96 for NYK. Everything was solved after the first half, in which the hosts created a 54-41 advantage.

Kings shoot for three 28.9%, 11-for-38. Tyrese Haliburton had 21 points, and Davion Mitchell added 18, with these two combining 14 assists. Buddy Hield scored 11 off the bench, 3-for-12 for three. We are pretty sure that the management regrets picking him over Bogdan Bogdanovic.

That is why we expect to see big moves during the next two weeks. The Kings are one of the biggest candidates for a complete rebuild and don’t be surprised if we see, for example, Ben Simmons in and De’Aaron Fox out. Sacramento will be very aggressive on the market, that is for sure.

Head to Head Games

There weren’t any head-to-head games between these two sides in the 2021/22 season. The Nets won both events during the previous campaign, 136-125 in Sacramento and 127-118 at home. They currently have six straight wins over the Kings, sweeping them in the previous three seasonal series.

Prediction

It would be a massive surprise to see the Kings winning here. This team is demoralized, and above all, without any chemistry on the court. On the other side, the situation is more or less the same with the Nets, but they at least have Harden and Irving who are able to make a difference. Also, it would be a big shame to see these two losing to one of the worst teams in the league and extend Brooklyn’s losing streak to six contests.

Pick: Nets win

Here is the preview for the Hornets vs. Celtics game.