We have finally reached the knockout round of the In-Season Tournament, and the nightcap between the Kings and Pelicans in Sacramento should be an instant classic (10 p.m. ET, TNT). We can't wait for this Western Conference clash, but in the meantime we'll share our best bets and top props so you can make some IST cash.
Here's the low-down: the In-Season Tournament has reached the quarterfinal round, with just eight teams remaining in the inaugural IST bracket. We have two games tonight and two games tomorrow, then the semifinals (basically the NBA version of the Final Four) will take place on Thursday. The two teams still standing at the end of the night Thursday will face off Saturday evening to determine the first-ever In-Season Tournament champions.
Whether or not you liked the idea initially, you probably love the tourney by now if you're a true hoops fan. The action has been intense, with playoff-like atmospheres just weeks into the season. Tonight should be no different, with reigning Clutch Player of the Year De'Aaron Fox and the red-hot Kings hosting Zion Williamson and the young, powerful Pelicans. This might be the best game of the round, with both 11-win teams at or near full strength entering the night.
Will Sacramento stay hot at home and light the beam en route to the semifinals? Or, will Zion and the Pels play spoiler and punch Domas and company in the mouth? Let's get to our best bets for the Kings-Pelicans' NBA In-Season Tournament Quarterfinals matchups on Monday evening, and help you start your week in style!
NBA In-Season Tournament best bets: Kings vs. Pelicans
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- Spread: Kings -3.5 (-105) | Pelicans +3.5 (-115)
- Moneyline: Kings -150 | Pelicans +135
- Over/Under: O 236.5 (-115) | U 236.5 (-105)
The Kings, who have won seven of their past 10 games and six of their eight home games this season, sit as -3.5 favorites heading into the evening. This seems like a prime example of why bettors should look beyond the records and home-road splits, because two of Sacramento's three losses during that 10-game stretch came at the hands of New Orleans.
Do not adjust the resolution on your screen — you read that right. The Pelicans trampled the Kings 129-93 on Nov. 20 and then got them again two days later 117-112. Even worse, the Pels played those games without CJ McCollum and Trey Murphy — two of their top scorers — so they could very well be more equipped to beat Sacramento with CJ and Trey tonight.
We think that's exactly what will happen. With all due respect to De'Aaron "Clutch King" Fox, Swiss-Army knife big man Domantas Sabonis, and microwave scorers Kevin Huerter and Malik Monk — not to mention the 76 percent of this game's bettors siding with the purple — we just don't like how Mike Brown's squad matches up with these Pels.
Never mind the tough losses New Orleans has endured this season — the majority of this squad's bumps in the road have stemmed from its depth issues caused by injuries. With CJ active, the Pels have gone 6-2. And even without him, they still have some pretty amazing short-handed victories over the past month.
They beat the world-champion Nuggets twice already, once by 18 in Denver and once in the In-Season tourney. They destroyed the Mavs by 21 and the Clippers by 10, both in the IST. Just five days ago, they knocked off reigning MVP Joel Embiid and the Sixers, also by 10. And, of course, we can't forget about the two Ws over the Kings, by a combined 41 points.
Now they get McCollum and Murphy back to stretch the floor. Of course, they have a healthy Zion and Jonas Valančiūnas to body the weaker bodies of Domas and Keegan Murray. Brandon Ingram blends a unique combination of length and shooting touch that no Kings defender can contain. Herbert Jones is one of the most underrated perimeter defenders in the NBA. Jose Alvorado remains one of the peskiest full-court gnats in the game. All that, and we're giving the Pels 3.5 points?
Sign us up. We love the Kings as much as anyone, and we recognize how awesome their fan base has been during the team's evolution into a contender over the past two seasons. But we also know when a team can't match up with a certain opponent. Who stops Zion and JV down low? If Sac doubles Zion to avoid his strong takes to the rim and newly-evolved jumpers in the lane, which shooter(s) will Brown tell his players to sag away from on the perimeter?
The Kings typically defend the three-pointer well, something New Orleans has struggled with this season. However, Sacramento also allows its opponents to shoot a collective 48.9 percent from the floor, the seventh-highest opposing field-goal percentage in the NBA. NOLA has fared even better against the Kings (50.3%). The priority will likely be to stop the Pels' bigs down low, so we anticipate plenty of open looks for CJ and Ingram in the midrange and Murphy and Jones on the outside. And the points will be plentiful.
With the Pels healthy and hitting a groove at just the right time, we could finally be witnessing the genesis of Zion as a true NBA superstar — and that might be an even more exciting NBA development than the "Light the Beam" Kings have been over the past year. Bet New Orleans and enjoy the ride.
FINAL SCORE PREDICTION: Pelicans 123, Kings 118 — New Orleans (+4.5) pulls off the road upset, winning straight up and advancing to the semifinals, while the game sails OVER the total (236.5). The OVER has hit in six of Sacramento's eight home games, and in three of New Orleans' five
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