For the second time in three days, the Sacramento Kings and Houston Rockets will square off. The Kings will be looking to avenge a three-point New Year’s Eve loss and get back on track following a 3-1 start. Meanwhile, the Rockets will try to build off of the win in the first meeting, which also happened to be their first win of the young season. The NBA odds and NBA betting experts offer a slight edge to the home team ahead of this Western Conference showdown.
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Kings vs Rockets Game Info
Sacramento Kings (3-2, 0-2 Away) at Houston Rockets (1-2, 0-0 Home)
Date: Saturday, Jan. 2, 2021
Venue: Toyota Center – Houston, TX
Start Time: 5 p.m. EST
TV: NBA TV
Kings vs Rockets NBA Betting Odds
Odds courtesy of Bovada Sportsbook
Moneyline: SAC: (+170) | HOU: (-200)
Spread: SAC: +4.5 (-110) | HOU: -4.5 (-110)
Total: 234.5 – Over (-110) | Under (-110)
King vs Rockets NBA Betting Overview
Kings Outlook
It’s undeniable that there is a plethora of young talent in Sacramento this season. The Kings are looking to snap a long playoff drought that dates back to the 2006 season. With scorers all over the floor, perhaps this is the year that Sacramento is finally able to get over the hump as NBA betting underdogs. De’Aaron Fox is of course the proven star, picking up right where he left off last season with averages of 20.6 points and 6.6 assists through four games. Buddy Hield, Richaun Holmes, Marvin Bagley III, and rookie Tyrese Haliburton all appear to be a fine supporting cast in the making.
Kings Injury Report
- Out: Tyrese Haliburton (wrist)
- Out: DaQuan Jeffries (ankle)
Rockets Outlook
It’s a new-look Rockets team this year after the team jettisoned Russell Westbrook and Robert Covington in offseason trades. Time will tell whether or not James Harden will be in Houston much longer. For now, he continues to reward NBA betting tickets as the Rockets’ primary scoring threat. Christian Wood has stepped up scoring the rock early in the season as the Rockets have dealt with various injuries and virus issues. The New Year’s Eve game saw both Eric Gordon and John Wall, who was part of the return package for Westbrook, make their season debuts. Wall’s 22-point, 9-assist, 6-rebound night was certainly encouraging for Rockets faithful.
Rockets Injury Report
- Out: Mason Jones (ankle)
- Out: Kenyon Martin Jr. (virus)
- Out: Ben McLemore (virus)
- Out: Chris Clemons
- Probable: Eric Gordon (knee)
Kings vs Rockets NBA Betting Trends
- Kings 2020-21 Betting Trends: 4-1 ATS; 3-2 to the Over
- Rockets 2020-21 Betting Trends: 1-2 ATS; 3-0 to the Over
Kings vs Rockets Statistics
- Sacramento is averaging 114.8 points per game this season (No. 10 in the NBA)
- Sacramento is surrendering 115.6 points per game on the season (No. 19 in the NBA)
- Houston is averaging 119.7 points per game this season (No. 5 in the NBA)
- Houston is surrendering 123.7 points per game this season (No. 29 in the NBA)
Kings vs Rockets Prop Bet
First Quarter Spread: Kings +2 (-115 at Bovada Sportsbook)
It’s fair to expect a high-scoring game between the Kings and Rockets. Both teams are proficient at scoring the basketball and neither rank well in the NBA in terms of scoring defense. With that said, it’s interesting to see the Kings catching a full bucket in the first quarter with the game line set at 4.5.
Coming into Saturday’s contest, Sacramento is actually a better first quarter team than Houston, averaging 30.8 first quarter points per game compared to the Rockets’ 29.7. The Kings won the first quarter by a single point in the game between the teams two days ago. While a two-point spread is essentially a pick’em, I like the value in taking the Kings to cover in the first 12 minutes of play.
