Kings vs Trail Blazers

Find Kings vs. Trail Blazers predictions, betting odds, moneyline, spread, over/under and more for the February 23 NBA matchup.

The Portland Trail Blazers come back from the NBA All-Star break with a road game against the Sacramento Kings. Before the break the Blazers lost their last ...

Last season, Fox was 175th in the NBA in VORP (0.7), 194th in win shares (5.0), 125th in box plus/minus (-0.6), 79th in offensive box plus/minus (0.6) and 150th in defensive box/plus minus (-2.5). The Kings are just 4.5 games above the Blazers in the standings. I called this a game I thought the Kings needed to win because KD wasn’t playing and Suns are still adjusting to roster moves. In terms of advanced analytics, he has improved dramatically in value over replacement player (VORP), win shares and box plus/minus ratings. To make things worse, the Kings’ remaining schedule for the season is not very friendly. If the Blazers are serious about trying to make the playoffs this year, they must win games starting now. With two of Sharpe, Thybulle, and Reddish possible to start according to Coach Chauncey Billups, how the minutes will be managed between the four is something to note going forward. The Portland Trail Blazers come back from the NBA All-Star break with a road game against the Sacramento Kings. They lost their last game against the Luckily, with the presence of Matisse Thybulle and the return of Jerami Grant, the Blazers are much better equipped to handle the two than they were before the all-star break. The Kings average the most points per game in the NBA, ranking top ten in field goal, three point, and free throw percentage. Being able to slow down even one would swing the tide in the favor of the Blazers, but that is easier said than done.

The Trail Blazers visit the Kings on Thursday as we continue our NBA odds series with a Blazers-Kings prediction, pick, and how to watch.

He scored 20+ in three of his last four games before the break and should feast against a vulnerable Blazers frontline. Sacramento features the most explosive offense in the league as they lead the league with 119.5 PPG. The seven-footer averages 18.8 PPG, leads the league with 12.3 RPG and leads his team with 6.9 APG. Add in that he previously scored 33 points against the Blazers and Fox should easily hit his over on points. Sacramento was one of the best stories in the NBA during the first half of the year as they are well on track to snap the league’s longest playoff drought. Fox leads the team with 24.8 PPG while also chipping in 6.2 APG. With four consecutive 30-point games prior to the All-Star Break, Fox is well-positioned to have another big night tonight. The 28-year-old is having the best shooting year of his career. The Blazers covered 52% of their games while 52% went under the projected point total. Sacramento allows the ninth-highest three-point percentage in the league – setting Lillard up for a big night from beyond the arc. The Kings covered 54% of their games while 52% went under. [Portland Trail Blazers](/nba/portland-trail-blazers) (28-30) visit the [Sacramento Kings](/nba/sacramento-kings) (32-25) on Thursday night!

NBA odds, picks, and predictions for the Portland Trail Blazers at Sacramento Kings on February 23. NBA betting best bet and free pick analysis.

Sacramento’s scoring prowess has the team constantly taking on tall totals, which has led to a 27-29-1 O/U record on the year. Defensive issues have sent the majority of the Blazers’ recent games Over the number, with an 8-4 O/U count in their last dozen games. As mentioned, the Blazers were one of the best bets in basketball to start the season, but the market has corrected hard on their nightly odds, leaving them to go just 10-18 ATS in the past 28 contests. That includes shooting guard [Malik Monk](https://www.covers.com/sport/basketball/nba/players/1759/malik-monk), who will return to the lineup tonight after missing the last two games before the break with an ankle injury. Sacramento’s sudden success was also an early-season windfall, pumping out a 19-11 ATS mark out of the gate. Portland enters the post-break landscape down two starters in center Nurkic and guard Simons, who contribute a combined 35.2 points per game. Portland has allowed the eighth-highest points per possession to transition offenses and lacks the legs to run with Sacramento. Sacramento opened as low as -5.5 on Monday, with books hanging odds on these Thursday games early after the All-Star break. After a very strong start for bettors (20-10 ATS in first 30 games), the Blazers have burned their backers for a 10-18 ATS mark since mid-December. They’re still without center Jusuf Nurkic and guard Anfernee Simons, shaking up the starting lineup and leaving coach Chauncey Billups to rely on role players. The Kings can help prove they’re no pushovers with a strong showing against the Portland Trail Blazers on Thursday. That task can be especially daunting when you’re feeling the pains of travel trouble for your first game back.

Damian Lillard and Jerami Grant will miss the Portland Trail Blazers Feb. 23 game in Sacramento, joining Anfernee Simons and Jusuf Nurkic on the bench.

Sacramento is currently third in the conference standings, one game ahead of the Los Angeles Clippers. The Trail Blazers will be missing four-fifths of their starting lineup against the Kings. Whether (no pun intended) Lillard and Grant’s rest day has anything to do with that is unclear.

Momentum may be delayed like a snowed-in plane on the tarmac, however, as the Blazers will be playing without Damian Lillard, Jerami Grant, Jusuf Nurkic, and ...

- The commenting system was updated during the summer. [Portland Trail Blazers](https://www.blazersedge.com) return from the NBA All-Star Break tonight to face the [Sacramento Kings](https://www.sactownroyalty.com/) in what is supposed to be the start of their push for the 2023 [NBA Playoffs](https://www.sbnation.com/nba-playoffs). This is the first half thread. The second half thread will be published around halftime. For those counting, that’s four-fifths of their starting lineup, and the only four-fifths that they didn’t just trade for at the recently-completed [NBA Trade Deadline](http://www.sbnation.com/nba-trade-rumors). They’re going to play the game anyway, which means you can talk about it right here in our GameDay Open Thread.

Visit ESPN for the game recap of the Portland Trail Blazers vs. Sacramento Kings NBA basketball game on February 23, 2023.

[Cam Reddish](http://www.espn.com/nba/player/_/id/4395627/cam-reddish) added 24 and [Trendon Watford](http://www.espn.com/nba/player/_/id/4431675/trendon-watford) had 15. [Nassir Little](http://www.espn.com/nba/player/_/id/4395652/nassir-little) scored 26 points for Portland. “I thought we played well. “I wasn’t worried,” Sabonis said about the slow start. Sacramento trailed by 16 points in the first half. Our bench did a nice job coming in and getting stops.”