Two California teams collide as the Sacramento Kings visit the Golden State Warriors.
The pregame narrative: The Kings are playing some good basketball and I’m backing them in this +285 wager that also includes prop picks on Domantas Sabonis and DeMar DeRozan.
Check out my Kings vs. Warriors same-game parlay predictions for Jan. 5.
Kings vs. Warriors predictions
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Parlay: Kings +3 + Sabonis over 5.5 assists + DeRozan over 22.5 points (+285)
Kings +3 (-112): I’m sure it may not sound like the best idea to back the Kings right now but I like this spot for a couple of reasons:
- The Warriors are playing the second half of a back-to-back (Steph Curry missed Saturday’s game and is a game-time decision on Sunday).
- The Kings are on a three-game winning streak.
Golden State has won two in a row so that can’t be ignored. But this is the side’s third game in four days.
Sacramento is the better-rested team and is playing well right now. The Kings are a talented roster on paper, and I predict their hot streak will continue following a disappointing start to the season.
SGP legs
Sabonis over 5.5 assists (-186): De’Aaron Fox is officially a game-time decision but is being reported as ‘unlikely to play’ by KHTK Sactown Sports 1140.
Even with Fox, Sabonis has cashed this wager in four straight games and is 19-13 against this line overall.
But if we look at last season, Sabonis had six-plus assists in six of the eight games Fox missed and averaged 7.8 over that span.
The other good news is that the Warriors allow the fifth-most assists to centres (4.7) per game.
DeRozan over 22.5 points (-143): DeRozan is another player who will see an uptick in volume if Fox is sidelined.
On Friday, DeRozan scored 29 points on 10/18 shooting. Fox played in that contest and took 23 shots.
Sacramento will likely be lacking a shot creator on Sunday and the former Toronto Raptor is the best option to take on the added responsibility.
DeRozan has shot above 50% in four of the past five games. The extra volume will do wonders for his production if he can stay hot.
He was a No. 1 option for the majority of his career and shouldn’t have any issues with the added offensive load.
Picks made at 1:30 p.m. ET 01/05/2025
Spencer is a true sports junkie. A graduate of the Sports Journalism program at Centennial College, he first joined NorthStar Gaming as an intern in 2023. He is now a contributing writer. He loves finding the edge to bet on in all sports but has a deep passion for the NBA and UFC. Previous stops include Sportsnet.