Kings vs. Bucks Prediction, Odds and Best NBA Prop Bets for Tuesday, Jan. 14

The Kings are road underdogs as they look to extend their winning streak to eight straight.
Sacramento Kings forward DeMar DeRozan is a great prop target tonight.
Sacramento Kings forward DeMar DeRozan is a great prop target tonight. / David Butler II-Imagn Images

Who would’ve thought that the hottest team in the NBA fired its coach less than a month ago?

Well, the Sacramento Kings did just that, and they’ve now won seven games in a row to move into the No. 9 seed in the Western Conference ahead of Tuesday’s matchup with the Milwaukee Bucks.

The Bucks are coming off a brutal 34-point loss to the New York Knicks on Sunday, and they’ll be without former All-Star Khris Middleton in this matchup. 

Milwaukee still holds the No. 6 spot in the Eastern Conference, but it hasn’t exactly made a major run since winning the NBA Cup last month. 

Now, oddsmakers have the Bucks set as slight favorites at home against this surging Kings team. So, how should we bet on this matchup?

First, let’s take a look at the odds and some prop bets to consider before making a pick for this interconference clash. 

Kings vs. Bucks Odds, Spread and Total

Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook.

Spread

  • Kings +2.5 (-112)
  • Bucks -2.5 (-108)

Moneyline

  • Kings: +114
  • Bucks: -135

Total

  • 228.5 (Over -112/Under -108)

Kings vs. Bucks How to Watch

  • Date: Tuesday, Jan. 14
  • Time: 8:00 p.m. EST
  • Venue: Fiserv Forum
  • How to Watch (TV): Bally Sports Wisconsin, NBC Sports California
  • Kings record: 20-19
  • Bucks record: 20-17

Kings vs. Bucks Injury Reports

Kings Injury Report

  • Malik Monk – questionable
  • Mason Jones – out
  • Isaiah Crawford – out

Bucks Injury Report

  • Khris Middleton – out
  • Giannis Antetokounmpo – probable
  • Gary Trent Jr. – questionable
  • Chris Livingston – out
  • Tyler Smith – out
  • AJ Johnson – out
  • Ryan Rollins – questionable

Kings vs. Bucks Best NBA Prop Bets

Sacramento Kings Best NBA Prop Bet

  • DeMar DeRozan OVER 19.5 Points (-115)

DeRozan has scored 21 or more points in three straight games, averaging 20.9 points per game for the season. 

Milwaukee could be down multiple wing players (Khris Middleton is out, Gary Trent Jr. is questionable) that would be options to defend DeRozan tonight. The Kings are still figuring out their offensive look this season, but if Malik Monk (questionable) sits, DeRozan and De’Aaron Fox should each get a few more shots on Tuesday night. 

Milwaukee Bucks Best NBA Prop Bet

  • Brook Lopez UNDER 5.5 Rebounds (-160)

Brook Lopez is averaging just 4.8 rebounds per game this season, and now he has a brutal matchup against Domantas Sabonis – the NBA’s leading rebounder – on Tuesday.

Lopez has just 16 games (out of 37) where he’s picked up six rebounds, and he has just four boards over his last two games against two elite rebounding teams (New York and Orlando). I expect him to struggle on the glass against Sabonis tonight. 

Kings vs. Bucks Prediction and Pick

There are a ton of reasons to love the Kings in this one, starting with recent play.

Sacramento ranks eighth in the NBA in net rating over its last 10 games, and it has moved into the top 10 in the NBA in that metric for the season over the last few weeks. Not only that, but the Kings have started to turn around their record in clutch games, moving to 10-13 in 23 games that have been within five points or less in the final five minutes.

After a brutal start to the season in close games, it appears that the Kings are starting to level things out as they get used to their new rotation with DeMar DeRozan in the fold.

In addition to that, Sacramento has the second-best record against the spread as a road underdog in the NBA this season (5-2) while the Bucks are a pedestrian 6-10-1 against the spread when favored at home.

With Middleton out and Gary Trent Jr. questionable, an already thin Bucks rotation looks even thinner on Tuesday night. 

I’ll back the Kings to cover – and wouldn’t mind them as an upset pick – tonight. 

Pick: Kings +2.5 (-112)


Odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.

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Find Peter Dewey's NBA betting record here (futures included). You can also follow my daily plays on  BetStamp here.


Published
Peter Dewey
PETER DEWEY

Peter is a senior editor for Sports Illustrated Betting. He has worked as a writer and editor for BetSided, NBC Sports, the Connecticut Sun and the Meriden Record-Journal covering the NBA, WNBA, NFL, MLB, and more. A New York City resident, he is a hoops fanatic with a soft spot for his New York Knicks.