NBA 2022/23, on Thursday, 12/22/2022
It’s hit again: the purple and gold’s damn injury woes! Now it’s up to the Los Angeles Lakers as guests of the Sacramento Kings to make the most of the remaining 2022/23 season – which is still quite long!
I expect this Californian derby to be an explosive game on a knife’s edge. What my Kings Lakers tip also reveals, however, is the reasonable assumption that player bets are also promising here in addition to classic 1X2 bets.
Last Friday, the Lakers put on perhaps their best performance of the season against the Nuggets. Los Angeles, in fact, managed to limit the NBA’s second-best offense to 108 points per 100 possessions.
This strong defensive effort is what has set the purple and gold apart this season. But the injury suffered by Anthony Davis on this evening represents a bitter loss for such a compact defence.
Especially now that it is clear that their superstar is likely to be out for a long time.
In fact, I’ve pointed out often enough in my NBA picks that the injury proneness of both superstars James and Davis will sooner or later prevent the Californians from being in the title race.
Davis has already sat out 113 games over the past four seasons and is leaving at a time when the team needs him most. His skills on both sides of the board have been extremely important for the Lakers so far.
Now, in its first game without “AD”, Los Angeles was able to win narrowly against the Wizards with 119-117, but with all due respect: Washington is no benchmark, as the team already lost its tenth NBA game in a row that night.
In the following game, on the other hand, they faced their first real stress test against the Suns. The 104-130 defeat made it clear to spectators and experts alike that the defence simply cannot withstand a strong team without Davis.
I could have imagined a success for the visitors tonight with the best possible line-up. The upcoming opponent is not that dissimilar to the Nuggets, who were defeated last Friday.
Like Denver, the Kings also have a relatively strong offence – paired with a less than impressive defensive work. What primarily distinguishes the Kings, however, is a strong centre who clears everything under the basket!
Domantas Sabonis has led his team to victory in two of the last three NBA games, collecting 20 or more rebounds against both the Raptors and Hornets. The Lakers would desperately need an Anthony Davis here to contrast the centre on the board.
The only reason I’m hesitant about betting on the Kings to win has to do with their poor performance against the Hornets. Because the weakest defence in the world actually found a way to defeat Sacramento yesterday.
The Californians’ problem is primarily that they simply don’t function well as a collective. Mostly it depends on Domantas Sabonis or De’Aaron Fox whether Sacramento wins games – or not.
So Los Angeles could well have a chance to at least keep the game open tonight. Because in addition to a fit Dennis Schröder, a LeBron James also returns to the starting line-up, who was still missing against the Suns.
I make no secret of the fact that the outcome of the game is a 50-50 proposition for me. Because on one hand, while the Lakers are extremely vulnerable without Anthony Davis, on the other hand, the Kings’ success depends far too much on individual players.
The best example? Against the Hornets’ extremely weak defence, Domantas Sabonis collected an incredible 23 rebounds yesterday, but his team still lost the rebound duel on the board by a clear 42 to 56.
Anyone interested in these Kings Lakers odds (and who wouldn’t be) should know that the visitors from the City of Angels will go into this Californian district derby as clear underdogs with average odds of 3.00.
Conclusion: The injury to Anthony Davis is another punch in the gut for every fan of the Californians. For as a result, their title chances continue to dwindle.
The purple and gold’s defence was still working really well with AD, but showed against the Suns how much the personnel “downgrade” can affect their performance.
The Kings, however, lost to the horror defence of the Hornets and showed in my eyes that they can also be beaten by the Lakers.
In my Kings Lakers tip, however, I expect another strong performance from one of the home side’s players – and that is Damantos Sabonis, who I trust to grab 13 rebounds.
My prediction regarding the outcome of the game, on the other hand, is: Win Lakers with a handicap of +6.
