NBA Odds, Picks & Predictions: Saturday (12/28)
The National Basketball Association (NBA) has nine games on the schedule for Saturday, with an NBA TV tripleheader. We’ll avoid the 3:00 p.m. ET tip-off between the Miami Heat and Atlanta Hawks, but we’ll play the middle game of the NBA TV triple dip, while also going with the Sacramento Kings and Los Angeles Lakers’ late-night game.
Let’s get that bankroll in the black with our best NBA picks for Saturday, December 28.
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Saturday’s Best NBA Picks
NBA odds courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook | All NBA picks are for 1 unit
Oklahoma City Thunder (-770) at Charlotte Hornets (+540) | O/U 217.5 (-110/-110)
The Thunder (24-6) and the Hornets (7-23) do battle in the middle game of the NBA TV tripleheader, with a 6:00 p.m. ET tip-off time from Spectrum Center in Charlotte. The Thunder swept last season’s series, including a narrow 121-118 win on April 7, while the Hornets won as a 7.5-point underdog as the over (218) cashed.
The Thunder lost in the NBA Cup in Las Vegas against the Milwaukee Bucks on December 17, but it has won four in a row since then. It is also 3-0-1 against the spread (ATS) in the four-game win streak while posting an 8-1-1 ATS mark across the past 10 games dating back to December 3. It has also won nine of the past 10 games, while the under is 5-2 in their previous seven tries.
For Charlotte, it has dropped six in a row, while going 1-5 ATS in that span. However, it covered the lone game as a double-digit underdog during the six-game span. Charlotte has cashed in each of the past two as a double-digit underdog while going 4-4 ATS in the past eight such instances.
Oklahoma City is 7-1-1 ATS in nine tries against Eastern Conference teams this season, with the lone loss coming in that title game in Vegas against the Bucks.
Charlotte has dropped 14 of the past 15 games outright while going just 2-8 ATS in the past 10 outings. In addition, the Hornets have cashed low in each of the past three games, while the under is 5-2 in the previous seven outings. The Hornets have lost and failed to cover the past two games against Western Conference opponents since winning in Houston on Opening Night back on October 23.
Let’s roll the dice on the Thunder laying the big points. They have covered in their past three games as a double-digit favorite while going 6-1 ATS in the previous seven outings as a favorite of 10+ points. Let’s go low on the total, too, as the under has hit in three straight for Buzz City while going 4-2 in the past six for the Thunder.
Picks: Oklahoma City Thunder -12.5 (-114) & Under 217.5 Points (-110)
Sacramento Kings (+120) at Los Angeles Lakers (-142) | O/U 222.5 (-110/-110)
The Kings (13-18) and the Lakers (17-13) meet at Crypto.com Arena at 10:30 p.m. ET, which is a quick turnaround after the Edmonton Oilers and Los Angeles Kings skate at 4:00 p.m. ET in the same building. Expect to see one of those timelapse videos of the crew changing the arena from a hockey rink to a basketball court on social media somewhere.
The Kings made headlines by firing head coach Mike Brown on Friday night, and there has been a lot of backlash about how the organization dismissed him. He apparently ran a full practice and had a media session before being informed he was fired just before jumping on the team plane for Los Angeles. Yikes. Anyway, Doug Christie takes over as the interim head coach for the remainder of the season, as the team looks to dig out of a hole, being five games under .500.
Sacramento has lost five in a row and has failed to cover in their past six games. The under is 3-1 in the past four outings, too. The Kings are facing the Lakers for the third time since December 19. L.A. won 113-100 in Sacramento, and it won 103-99 in the second end of a back-to-back. The under cashed in both meetings.
The Lakers are dealing with some issues, as LeBron James and Rui Hachimura are both under the weather, and Jalen Hood-Schifino will miss another game with a strained left hamstring. Anthony Davis is a question mark due to an ankle ailment, too. Even if those guys are unable to play, however, morale is low for the Kings. The Lakers should at least be able to get this one done by three points. Let’s go low on the total, too
Picks: Los Angeles Lakers -2.5 (-110) & Under 222.5 Points (-110)
Daniel E. Dobish is a featured writer at BettingPros. For more from Daniel, check out his archive and follow him @danieledobish.