Sacramento Kings vs. San Antonio Spurs In-Season Tournament: 3 Best Bets

In what should be a matchup with minimal defense, the San Antonio Spurs take on the Sacramento Kings. We gave our picks, keeping in mind that Devin Vassell is out.

The San Antonio Spurs are desperate for a win after losing six straight, and tonight they get a chance, hosting the Sacramento Kings. After getting off to a disappointing start to the season, the Kings are riding a four-game win streak as they travel to Texas.

The Spurs continue to struggle with the point guard position, going as far as to call up Blake Wesley from Austin. An extra ball handler will be needed, as the Spurs have Tre Jones listed as doubtful and Devin Vassell listed as out.

The Kings are missing Alex Len and Trey Lyles, but their offensive attack usually goes through De’Aaron Fox and Domantas Sabonis, so they should be firing on all cylinders, making for a tough matchup.

With Jones and Vassell on the injury report, Malaki Branham is slated to have a bigger role / © Daniel Dunn, USA TODAY

The Spurs are very much playing experimental basketball, which makes betting on them extra exciting. Hoping for the Spurs to finally win a game, we compiled our three best picks from SI Sportsbook.

The Lines

Point spread: Kings -8.5 (-110)/Spurs +8.5 (-125)

Moneyline: Kings (-350)/Spurs (+250)

Over/under: 237.5

Our Picks

Safe bet: Victor Wembanyama OVER 18.5 points (-133)

Sabonis is a three-time All-Star, but he didn’t get there on defensive chops. If Wembanyama decides to attack the paint, no one can really stop him. If he decides to launch shots from deep, no one can contest those, but they aren’t falling at the rate fans would like. Either way, Wembanyama can attack the hoop from wherever he wants to tonight, and with Vassell out, the scoring output will fall on him even more than usual.

Opponent pick: Kevin Huerter OVER 15.5 points (-133)

Devin Vassell is a great perimeter defender, but he’s out. The only other above-average perimeter defender the Spurs have is Jeremy Sochan, and he will likely be tasked with shutting down Fox. Huerter is a sniper from deep, and the Spurs are horrible at guarding the three-ball, so Red Velvet should be able to score more than usual.

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Team pick: OVER 237.5 total points

This line is insanely high, which usually means something is afoot. In this game, it is a total lack of defense. The Spurs allow the most points in the league, and the Kings have a top-10 offense, which is a recipe for a ton of points. On the other side, the Kings boast a slightly worse-than-average defense, and the Spurs have a chip on their shoulder. All in all, both teams should be lighting it up tonight and defense will get thrown out of the window.