Sacramento Kings at Denver Nuggets NBA Picks & Predictions 10/21/2017

Saturday, October 21, 2017

Pepsi Center

Get todays NBA odds and lines on this game.

The Sacramento Kings head to Pepsi Center to take on the Denver Nuggets on Saturday, October 21, 2017. The opening line for this game has Denver as 10 point favorites.

The Kings come into this game after finishing last season with an overall record of 32-50. They were 3rd in the Pacific Division. They had a point differential of -3.9 as they averaged 102.8 points per game while giving up 106.7 per contest. The Nuggets had an overall record of 40-42 last season. They were 4th in the Northwest Division. They averaged 111.7 points per game and surrendered 111.2, good for a point differential of 0.5.

Valuable Sacramento Kings Betting Trends

The Sacramento Kings were 42-39-1 against the spread last season

The Sacramento Kings were 35-47-0 against the over/under last year

Important Denver Nuggets Betting Trends

The Denver Nuggets were 46-35-1 against the spread last season

The Denver Nuggets were 50-31-1 against the over/under last year

Key Sacramento Kings Injuries

10/19/17 G Bogdan Bogdanovic Ankle is "?" Friday vs. Dallas
10/19/17 F Zach Randolph Mouth is "?" Friday vs. Dallas
10/18/17 F Harry Giles Knee is out indefinitely

Key Denver Nuggets Injuries

10/18/17 PG Jameer Nelson None has been released

Player Spotlight

Buddy Hield comes into this game after averaging 10.6 points per contest while playing 23 minutes per night last year. He grabbed 3.3 rebounds per contest and distributed 1.5 assists per game. His FG percentage was 43% while his free throw percentage was 84%. Zach Randolph averaged 14.1 points per contest in 24.5 minutes per game last year. He averaged 1.7 assists per game and 8.2 rebounds per contest. His field goal percentage was 45% for the season while his free throw percentage was 73%.

Player Spotlight

Gary Harris scored 14.9 points per contest while playing 31.3 minutes per game last season. He hauled in 3.1 rebounds per contest and had 2.9 assists per game on the season. His FG percentage was 50% and his free throw percentage finished at 78%. Nikola Jokic averaged 16.7 points per game last year and he saw the court an average of 27.9 minutes per game. He also brought in 9.8 rebounds per game and had 4.9 assists per contest. His field goal percentage was 58% and his free throw percentage was 83%.

Useful Team Statistics

Sacramento averaged 102.8 points per contest last year, which was 24th in the league. Their average scoring margin was -3.88 and their shooting percentage was 46% as a unit, which had them ranked 13th. From 3-point territory they shot 38%, which was good for 5th in the NBA. They averaged 41.1 boards per contest and 22.5 assists per game, which ranked them 28th and 17th in those offensive categories. In the turnover department they were 10th with 14.6 per game. The Kings allowed 106.7 points per contest, which was 19th in the NBA. They also surrendered a 46% shooting percentage and a 36% average from 3-point range, ranking them 22nd and 19th in defensive field goal percentage. Opponents averaged 42.9 rebounds a game which ranked 10th, and they allowed 23.7 assists per game which put them in 24th place in the league. They forced 14 turnovers per game which ranked them 16th in the NBA.

Useful Team Statistics

Denver was 3rd in the NBA with 111.7 points per contest last season. They were 6th in the league in shooting at 47%, while their average scoring margin was 0.51. They shot 37% from beyond the arc, which was good for 11th in the league. They were 2nd in the NBA in rebounding with 46.4 boards per contest and 2nd in assists per game with 25.3. The Nuggets were 7th in turnovers per contest with 15. The Nuggets gave up 111.2 points per game, which ranked them 27th in the league. Their defense surrendered a 48% shooting percentage and a 38% average from behind the 3-point line, ranking them 29th and 28th in those defensive statistics. They ranked 25th with 24 dimes allowed per game and 4th with 40.8 boards surrendered per contest. The Nuggets were 1st in the league in forcing turnovers with 12 per contest last year.

Advanced Statistics

The Kings were 21st in the league in defensive rating with 111.3, and their offensive rating of 107.3 was ranked 6th. They were 23rd in the NBA in pace with 94.9 possessions per 48 minutes, and their eFG% of 52% was 14th. As a unit they were 14th in the league in true shooting percentage with 56% and they shot 3-pointers on 29% of their shot attempts, ranking 20th in the NBA. Sacramento was 4th in turnovers, as they turned the ball over an average of 13.7 times per 100 possessions while forcing 12.9 on defense. Their defensive eFG% for the year was 53%, which was 5th in the NBA.

Advanced Statistics

Denver was 8th in the league in turnovers, as they turned the ball over an average of 13.2 times per 100 possessions while forcing 10.9 on defense. Their defensive eFG% for the year was 53%, which was 3rd in the NBA. The Nuggets were 4th in the league in defensive rating with 112.7, and their offensive rating of 113.2 was ranked 2nd. They were 7th in the NBA in pace with 98.3 possessions per 48 minutes, and their eFG% of 53% was 5th. As a unit they were 5th in the league in true shooting percentage with 57% and they shot 3-pointers on 33% of their shot attempts, ranking 9th in the NBA.

Who will win tonight's Kings/Nuggets NBA game against the spread?

Tony's Pick: Take Sacramento +10

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