The 2022-23 NBA season goes on Wednesday, December 21, with the Pacific Division showdown from Golden 1 Center in Sacramento, California, so we have prepared the best Lakers vs. Kings betting pick and odds.

Los Angeles and Sacramento lock horns for the second time this season, and the Kings aim for their third straight victory over Purple-and-Gold. Back in November, Sacramento beat LA 120-114 as a 4-point road fave with a total of 233.0 points.

The Los Angeles Lakers fell to 13-17 SU and 12-17-1 ATS on the season following Monday’s 130-104 defeat at the Phoenix Suns. Playing as 11.5-point road underdogs on the second day of a back-to-back, the injury-depleted Lakers trailed by 24 points at halftime. They missed LeBron James (ankle), Anthony Davis (foot), and Russell Westbrook (foot), so Dennis Schroder led the way with 30 points and four assists.

“That is a well-oiled machine over there,” Lakers coach Darvin Ham said. “They took care of business over there tonight and I felt that our guys competed to the best of their ability.”

Both James and Westbrook should return to the starting lineup Wednesday, but Davis will remain on the shelf for a few weeks. The Brow suffered a foot injury in a 126-108 thrashing of the Denver Nuggets this past Friday, and he’s averaged 30.3 points and 10.4 rebounds over his last seven appearances.

The Lakers have improved on the offensive side of the ball lately and hold the 21st-highest offensive rating in the NBA, tallying 111.6 points per 100 possessions. LeBron has hit a 30-point mark in four straight outings and is posting 27.0 points, 8.5 rebounds, and 6.5 assists per game this season. He missed the Lakers’ first encounter with the Kings in 2022-23.

The Sacramento Kings (16-13; 18-11 ATS) suffered a 125-119 home defeat to the Charlotte Hornets this past Monday. They were listed as double-digit favorites but failed to extend their winning streak to three games. It was a lousy defensive display by the Kings, who gave up a whopping 72 points in the paint. Domantas Sabonis led the charge for Sacramento with a line of 28 points, 23 rebounds, seven assists, and a plus-6 net rating, while De’Aaron Fox had 37 points and an ugly minus-20 net rating.

“We didn’t lose because we didn’t make free throws,” Sacramento head coach Mike Brown said after his team went 17-for-31 from the foul line. “Obviously, if we would have made free throws, we might have stolen the game, but the way we played, we didn’t deserve to win.”

Harrison Barnes (13.8 PPG, 5.3 RPG) suffered a quad injury in the third quarter of the Hornets game and didn’t return. He’s questionable to play Wednesday against the Lakers. If Barnes doesn’t suit up, the Kings’ frontcourt will be quite shorthanded.

Sacramento boasts the sixth-highest offensive rating in the NBA, notching 115.3 points per 100 possessions. The Kings need to improve on the other side of the ball, as they surrender 113.4 points per 100 possessions (20th in the league) on 48.2% shooting from the field (26th).