The Sacramento Kings are coming off a one-sided loss on the road against the New York Knicks their last time out and they are looking to get themselves back on track when they head to Boston to take on No. 1-seeded Boston Celtics in a Friday night showdown. We take a look at this matchup to make a Kings-Celtics prediction and pick.

(Photo by Brian Babineau/NBAE via Getty Images)

Sacramento Kings (44-32) are now just 1 game back from the 6 seed behind the Pelicans and Suns who are tied. The Kings are looking to avoid the play-in tournament and for them to do so they will need to go through the Boston Celtics who have been on an absolute tear as of late.

The Kings have been without Malik Monk and Kevin Huerter who have been out for some time and they certainly have been missing their presence especially from beyond the arc. Their 3-point shooting would've been much-needed in their double-digit loss to the Knicks in Madison Square Garden yesterday.

The Kings will look to right the ship to get out of playing in this play-in tournament when they head to Boston to take on the Celtics in this Friday-night showdown.

Boston Celtics (43-31) host the Sacramento Kings, aiming to keep their recent momentum going after winning three straight by double-digits. Before this three-game stretch, they oddly lost back-to-back games to the Atlanta Hawks by two points in each game, while blowing a massive lead.

Regardless of those two losses, the Celtics are still regarded as the team to beat in the Eastern Conference. They are the only team in the East as well as the entire league with 60 wins on the season with still some games to go. Their dominance has come in large part due to the play from Jayson Tatum and? Jaylen Brown who have been one of the best 1-2 punches in the NBA this season. However, we still can't forget the rest of this star-studded cast that makes them legitimate title contenders like Kristaps Porzingis, Jrue Holiday, and longtime Celtics Derrick White and Al Horford.

The Celtics will be looking to continue their dominance and momentum when they play host to the Sacramento Kings in tonight's matchup at the TD Garden.

SACRAMENTO KINGS VS. BOSTON CELTICS FANDUEL ODDS FOR ARR. 5

MONEY LINE

• SACRAMENTO KINGS: +315
• BOSTON CELTICS: -405

SPREAD

• SACRAMENTO KINGS: +9.5 (-112)
• BOSTON CELTICS: -9.5 (-108)

OVER/UNDER (TOTAL)

• OVER 208 (-110)
• UNDER 208 (-110)

BEST ODDS FOR SACRAMENTO KINGS VS. BOSTON CELTICS

• The Boston Celtics are -9.5-point favorites against the Sacramento Kings. BetMGM currently has the best odds at -8.5 (-115)
• The Sacramento Kings are the underdogs by 9.5 points to cover the spread. FanDuel and currently has the best odds at +9.5 (-112)
• DraftKings currently has the best odds for the total, which is set at 226(-110) for the over, and (-110) for the under

FanDuel

4.5/5

Use FanDuel Promo on Kings @ Celtics match: Bet $5, get $200 in Bonus Bets

• User-friendly mobile app & website
• Low cost spreads
• Highly competitive odds

–

–

SACRAMENTO KINGS VS. BOSTON CELTICS INJURY REPORT

PORTLAND TRAIL BLAZERS INJURY REPORT

• MALIK MONK - OUT - KNEE
• KEVIN HUERTER - OUT FOR SEASON - SHOULDER

BOSTON CELTICS INJURY REPORT INJURY REPORT

• DERRICK WHITE - OUT - BACK
• JAYLEN BROWN - OUT - HAND
• JADEN SPRINGER - OUT - KNEE

WHY SACRAMENTO KINGS WILL COVER THE SPREAD

The Sacramento Kings are still gunning for the 6 seed or better in the Western Conference and are desperate as they come into this matchup against the Boston Celtics. They already dropped a much-needed win against the Knicks which was a devastating loss for the Kings.? In that loss to the Knicks, it was the De'Aaron Fox show as he scored 29 points but he was the only player to score 20+ points on the night as the rest of his supporting cast was held in check.

Domantas Sabonis had only 17 points to go along with 11 rebounds and 7 assists. Meanwhile, it was only Keegan Murray who came close to 20 points with 18 and the rest of the team didn't even reach 15 points on the night. This is going to be extremely difficult as they come into this back-to-back road matchup with the Boston Celtics.

With that said, the Kings are still a team that you can't underestimate especially coming off a down game. They are a tough gritty team that knows how to bounce back when they need it the most. Fox and Sabonis will put their best efforts forward as they come into Boston looking to put Tatum, Brown, and this Celtics team on their heels early. If they can do that they will have a fighting chance in this matchup not only to cover the spread but potentially to win outright.

WHY BOSTON CELTICS WILL COVER THE SPREAD

The Boston Celtics are the team to watch out for as they make their playoff push at the top of the Eastern Conference standings. For the majority of the season now, the Celtics have been the team to beat in the East. They have one of the best teams the East has seen in quite some time.

They are led by MVP candidate Jayson Tatum who averaging a blistering 27.2 ppg to go along with 8.3 rebounds, and 4.9 assists. That's now all this Celtics team has, as they have by far the most depth out of any team in the league. With all-stars like Brown, Porizingis and Holiday mixed in great quality players like Derrick White and Al Horford this team is destined to be great this season.

They take on the Kings who are gunning for a better seed in the Western Conference standings and are certainly not going to go down without a fight. The Celtics will unfortunately be without Jaylen Brown and Derrick White in this matchup but with the depth that this Celtics team has it's just next man up. As long as Tatum can continue his hot streak and his role players just step up they have the ability to keep it rolling here tonight.

FINAL KINGS-CELTICS PICK & PREDICTION

The Sacramento Kings have some uphill sledding ahead of them going against top-seeded Boston Celtics. While the Kings are 6-4 in their last 10 games they are also 5-5 ATS as well, covering in two out of their last three games.

While it isn't for the faint at heart to lay 9.5 points, it is recommended here when you the team you're laying points with is the Boston Celtics. As long as Jayson Tatum gets going as well as Porizingis and Holiday step up with the absence of Brown as expected they should come away with another dominant outing against the Kings in their back-to-back.

FINAL KINGS-CELTICS PICK & PREDICTION: Boston Celtics -9.5 (-108)

To keep yourself updated on the newest happenings, be sure to check out our Betting News Section. We've organized all the updates so you can find all you need, in one convenient location.