Portland Trail Blazers vs Sacramento Kings Prediction, 2/23/2023 Preview and Pick

Game: Portland Trail Blazers vs Sacramento Kings

Date: Thursday, February 23, 2023

Location: Golden 1 Center in Sacramento, CA

TV: NBC Sports California

Odds/Point Spread: Portland (+5)

The Sacramento Kings will take on the Portland Trail Blazers at Golden 1 Center on Thursday. Portland opens this matchup as 5-point underdogs. The total is set at 239.5.

The Trail Blazers faced the Wizards and ended up losing by a score of 126-101 in their last game. Portland wrapped up the contest with a 41.9% field goal percentage (36 of 86) and buried 12 of their 42 shots from beyond the perimeter. When they shot from the charity stripe, the Trail Blazers made 17 of their 24 attempts for a rate of 70.8%. When discussing rebounding, they compiled 37 with 12 of them being offensive. They also doled out 20 assists in this contest while forcing the opposition into 14 turnovers and earning 9 steals. In relation to defense, Portland allowed 57.0% from the field on 45 out of 79 shooting. Washington distributed 28 dimes and had 5 steals in this game. Moreover, Washington grabbed 44 boards (5 offensive, 39 defensive) and had 5 blocks. Washington ended up going 86.4% when shooting free throws by making 19 of 22 tries. They also converted 17 of 33 tries from 3-point range. When it comes to fouls, the Trail Blazers ended up walking away with 19 and the Wizards racked up 17 fouls.

Damian Lillard is one player who was a major contributor for this contest. Lillard shot 46.7% from the floor and distributed 6 dimes. He played for 39 minutes and snagged 10 rebounds. He recorded 39 points on 14 out of 30 shooting.

Get all of our NBA Betting Picks

Portland heads into this game with a record of 28-30 for the season. They are averaging 114.9 points per outing (12th in basketball) while connecting on 48.2% from the floor. The Trail Blazers are shooting 37.4% on shots from distance (756 of 2,019) and 80.3% from the free throw line. As a team, Portland is grabbing 41.6 boards per game and has totaled 1,406 assists so far this season, which ranks 22nd in basketball in terms of passing the ball. They lose possession via turnover 14.6 times per contest and as a squad are committing 20.6 fouls every game.

On defense, the Trail Blazers are forcing their opponents into 13.3 turnovers on a nightly basis while drawing 21.4 personal fouls. They are 18th in the NBA in allowing assists with 1,509 relinquished on the season. The Trail Blazers defensively are giving up a shooting percentage of 48.4% (2,440 of 5,044) and they surrender 41.4 boards per contest as a unit. They relinquish 37.0% on shots from beyond the perimeter and they rank 18th in the NBA in PPG from their opponents (115.0).

When they last stepped on the court, the Kings took a loss by a score of 120-109 when they faced the Suns. In the matter of how they rebounded, Sacramento permitted Phoenix to get 37 in total (8 on the offensive side). They finished 31.8% from beyond the perimeter by going 7 of 22 and ended up shooting 13 out of 16 at the free throw line (81.3%). The Kings allowed the Suns to knock down 50 out of their 88 tries from the field which gave them a rate of 56.8% in the matchup. When the game finished, the Kings walked away from this one shooting 37 for 83 from the floor which gave them a shooting percentage of 44.6%. With respect to shots from downtown, Sacramento buried 14 of 38 attempts (36.8%). They were able to make 21 of the free throw tries for a clip of 87.5%. The Suns had 17 personal fouls in this matchup which took the Kings to the charity stripe for a total of 24 shots. They turned the ball over 17 times, while getting 8 steals in this matchup. The Kings collected 27 defensive rebounds and 13 offensive boards totaling 40 for the matchup.

De'Aaron Fox ended up having an impact for the Kings for the game. Fox earned 35 points in his 38 minutes on the court and accumulated 4 assists for this contest. He converted 12 out of 22 for this game for a rate of 54.5%, and accumulated 4 rebounds.

Sacramento has a mark of 32-25 on the season. When it comes to offensive execution, the Kings are connecting on 49.4% from the field, which is 3rd in the NBA. Sacramento has totaled 6,809 pts this year (119.5 per game) and they collect 41.8 boards per contest. They are assisting teammates 26.8 times per game (5th in the league) and they lose possession by turning the ball over 14.0 times per contest. The Kings have committed 19.8 fouls per game while shooting 80.2% from the free throw line.

The Kings on the defensive end are ranked 23rd in the league in points given up per game with 117.2. They are forcing 14.4 turnovers on a nightly basis and allow teams to shoot 49.3% from the floor (29th in the league). The Sacramento defense allows 36.7% on shots from behind the 3-point line (672 of 1,829) and their opponents are knocking down 79.3% of their free throw shots. They have relinquished 25.8 assists and 42.0 boards per contest, which is 22nd and 6th in the NBA.

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

Josh Schonwald's Pick: Take Portland (+5)

Get $60 worth of FREE premium member picks. No Obligation. No Salesman. No Credit Card. Fast Sign up with Instant Access Click Here