NBA Regular Season 2023/24, Tuesday, March 26, 2024
On Tuesday night, the ambitious but at times unpredictable Kings welcome the stumbling 76ers, who won their last game convincingly. So there should be plenty of entertainment in the capital of California!
My Kings 76ers betting tip, which is worth registering for at Intertops, explains why you can expect a high-scoring opening quarter
The Californian Kings are somewhat inconsistent on the road in the current phase of the season, which is generally considered the most stressful for the teams due to the tight schedule.
They have an 11-6 record in their last 17 games and have defeated heavyweights such as Minnesota (+4 after overtime), Los Angeles (Clippers; +16), Denver (+4) twice, Milwaukee (+35) and Los Angeles (Lakers; +13) on several occasions.
However, veteran coach Mike Brown’s team is always good for slip-ups, such as the 102:109 away defeat at the historically poor Washington Wizards in the penultimate game.
In the last game, the Royals defeated the Magic 109-107 in a nailbiter in Orlando.
The team generally struggles against teams from the currently much weaker Eastern Conference, with a record of “only” 14-12 against them.
While the royal offense is almost elite, defensively they are average.
The Purple & White’s offense is the 12th best with a rating of 116.6, while the defense is 15th with a rating of 115.1.
At the offensive end, the Northern Californians can count on a whole host of strong role players, with four other players behind De’Aaron Fox (26.7 points and 5.7 assists) and co-superstar Domantas Sabonis (20 points, 13.7 rebounds and 8.3 assists) scoring ten or more points per game (seven for the 76ers).
In particular, the versatile Lithuanian big man Sabonis is one of the league’s most underrated stars and should pose serious problems for the Sixers’ frontcourt, which will be without reigning MVP Joel Embiid.
The visiting 76ers have not unsurprisingly slumped since the injury to their superstar at the end of January, going a measly 10-16 since then (29-16 to date).
The current road trip to the West Coast got off to an unpromising start with two defeats at the Suns (-13) and Lakers (-7).
It was therefore all the more surprising that the highly favored LA Clippers were downright humiliated 121:107 on the road last night, hitting a strong 18/37 threes (48.6%).
Meanwhile,
Embiid’s rehab is apparently progressing promisingly and the Cameroonian could ideally be ready to return at the start of the playoffs in just under a month.
However, Philadelphia will still have to fight hard for eligibility until then.
Philly is currently in eighth place in the East, half a game behind the first safe playoff spot in sixth place, which would entitle them to participate in the play-in tournament.
Since Embiid’s retirement, however, the sixty-seven rank 22nd both offensively (rating of 110.5) and defensively (116).
Since then, offensive responsibility has mainly fallen to first-time All-Star Tyrese Maxey, who has averaged 25.8 points and 5.3 assists with an acceptable 44.4% field goal percentage since February.
Against the Clippers, it was also third offensive option Tobias Harris who shone with 24 points on 11/19 attempts.
In favor of the visitors from the City of Brotherly Love is the fact that they have won no fewer than the last ten games against the Kings as Sacramento’s opponents of fear.
There are only five longer active winning streaks in the entire NBA, and no other East team can boast ten consecutive wins against a West team.
However, with the 76ers facing an unloved back-to-back and the Kings having one more day of rest, I wouldn’t necessarily put my hand in the fire for an away win.
If you expect a close fight, you could consider a handicap bet like “Sixers at -8.5.”
My NBA betting tip is a little more conservative. So I recommend you bet on 56 points or more in the opening quarter, an event that is valued at odds of 1.71 at Intertops.
Sacramento (29.9) and Philadelphia (28.8) have been in the better half of the NBA in terms of scoring in the first quarter since February (eighth and fourteenth respectively).
The aforementioned scoring mark has also been surpassed in five of the last seven Kings games and both teams are not necessarily strong defensively.
In addition, I trust the 76ers to be able to call on their red-hot three-point shooting percentage from yesterday’s game in Northern California.
Last but not least, I want to point out that my last three NBA picks involving the Sacramento Kings have come true.
My Kings 76ers tip is therefore: Over 55.5 points in the 1st quarter!
