- The 40-26 SU Sacramento Kings are the new odds-on favorites to win the Pacific Division.
- Sacramento defeated Phoenix 128-119 last Saturday night for their first 40-win season since the 2005-06 NBA season.
- The Kings however are still longshots at +6600 to win the NBA title and have the longest championship odds among the Pacific Division teams.
Light the beam now. The Sacramento Kings are your new odds-on favorites to win the Pacific Division at -275 odds via Bet365 US.
The Kings improved to 40-26 SU on Saturday night after defeating the Phoenix Suns 128-119 as four-point underdogs in the desert. Sacramento finished the contest on a 13-4 run as they held down the KD-less Suns in the closing moments of the game.
Harrison Barnes led the Kings with 19 while De’Aaron Fox and Malik Monk each added 18 points for Sacramento, which added one game to the gap between them and Phoenix. After Sunday’s games, the Kings are now 3.5 games ahead of the second-place Suns.
Phoenix faltered to +250 in the latest Pacific Division team standings while the other three teams in the divisions are now long shots to catch up. Golden State is listed at +1600 odds while the L.A. Clippers and Los Angeles Lakers are at +4000 and +15000, respectively.
We began the 2022-23 season with the Suns as the +180 favorite to win the division. Golden State and the L.A. Clippers were next at +210 odds while the Lakers hit the betting boards at +700. Sacramento’s opening odds to win the Pacific were ridiculously long at +25000.
Kings eclipsed the Suns, 128-119 #SacramentoProud
Sacramento reached 40 wins for the first time in the regular season since 2006 đź‘‘
LIGHT THE BEAM 🟣🔦 pic.twitter.com/KsKlVSEWWI
— Next Level Fantasy NBA (@NxtLvlFntasyNBA) March 12, 2023
Light the Beam
With Saturday’s win over the Suns, the Kings have now won 40 games this season. This marks the first time that they have accomplished that feat since the 2005-06 campaign. Sacramento’s 16 seasons without a 40-win season is tied for the longest such streak of all time, and not surprisingly the Kings also hold the other mark, doing so from 1983-84 to 1998-99.
The last time the Kings were on this boat, they won 44 regular season games and were the 8th seed in the 2006 Playoffs. That year, Sacramento was eliminated in the first round of the postseason by the San Antonio Spurs. That was also the last time that the Kings made the Playoffs and they opened the 2022-23 campaign with a +450 odds to make the playoffs.
The oddsmakers also gave the Kings a 34.5-win total before the start of the season. They went over that total six games ago. The Kings still have 16 games left to play to add to their current win total and separate themselves from the Grizzlies who have the same 40-26 SU record.
Kings Have 10th Toughest Remaining Schedule
It’s not going to be easy for the Kings as they have the 10th toughest remaining schedule in the league. Their remaining opponents have a .517 aggregate winning percentage. The Kings still have games against the Bucks, Celtics, Nuggets, Suns, and Warriors.
Phoenix has the 3rd toughest remaining schedule right now and, with Kevin Durant currently on the injured list, the Suns may find it tough to catch up. The Kings meanwhile are on a roll and continue to peak at the right time.
Sacramento has won 8 out of their last 10 games played including three in a row, entering Monday’s game against the Bucks. Milwaukee has opened as the 1.5-point spread favorites to beat Sacramento.
Kings Still Longshots to Win NBA Title
But while Sacramento has taken the top spot in the Pacific Division team standings, the Kings are still +6600 long shots to win the 2023 NBA title. Interestingly, the four teams behind them in the division standings have shorter title odds than Sacramento does right now.
The Phoenix Suns, who are 37-30 SU as of Sunday’s games and in second place in the division at 3.5 games behind the Kings, have the best odds among the 5 Pacific Division teams at +500. Phoenix has the third-best odds to win the title overall, behind only the Boston Celtics at +325 and Milwaukee Bucks at +400.
Defending champions Golden State is next to last in the division at 35-33 and is six games behind the Suns. Despite that, the Warriors currently have the 5th best odds to win back-to-back titles at +950 via the same online sportsbook.
Meanwhile, the two Los Angeles teams also have better championship odds than Sacramento. The Clippers and Lakers are listed next to each other at +1800 and +2000 respectively, at SportsBetting.ag.
Kawhi and company are 5.5 games off the Kings’ pace at 36-33 while LeBron’s Lakers are currently the cellar dwellers of the division at 33-34, 7.5 games behind the Kings.
The last time the Sacramento Kings held the No. 2 playoff seed in the Western Conference was back on April 11, 2004, 🤯
🏀CAN THE KINGS MAKE A GOOD PLAYOFF RUN? ➡️https://t.co/U3gmL04Edc#BeamTeam pic.twitter.com/NuMsTqXP02
— BetUS NBA 🏀 (@BetUS_NBA) March 9, 2023,
All Five Pacific Division Teams are in the Playoff Hunt
All five Pacific Division teams are still in the playoff hunt with the Kings at no. 2, Suns at no.4, Clippers at no.5, and Warriors are no. 6 currently holding outright playoff spots.
The Lakers are in 9th place but are just two games behind their cross-town rivals Clippers. The Suns are just two games ahead of the Clippers right now while the Warriors are just half a game off L.A.’s pace.
Sacramento is seven games behind the Nuggets and may be in a tough position to get the top seed in the Western Conference playoffs. However, they have a strong chance to finish as the no. 2 seed and have home-court advantage until at least the second round of the playoffs.
Having home-court edge may be the key to their postseason success. The Kings are 21-13 SU at home this season, although they have been playing well on the road as well. Sacramento’s 19-13 SU road record this year is the best among all teams in the Western Conference.
