Sacramento Kings Host Atlanta Hawks in Crucial NBA Matchup

The Sacramento Kings and the Atlanta Hawks faced off in an important NBA matchup on Monday, November 18, 2024, at the Golden 1 Center in Sacramento, California. The Kings, with a record of 8-6, were favored by 4.5 points against the Hawks, who stood at 6-8.

The Kings came into the game on the back of a hard-fought 121-117 victory over the Utah Jazz, led by De'Aaron Fox‘s impressive 49 points and nine assists. Fox has been in stellar form, averaging 28.9 points per game this season and scoring at least 30 points in his last three games.

The Atlanta Hawks, meanwhile, were looking to bounce back from a tough 114-110 loss to the Portland Trail Blazers. Despite the defeat, Trae Young and Jalen Johnson had strong performances, with Young scoring 29 points and eight assists, and Johnson adding 25 points on 10-of-14 shooting.

The game was marked by several key injuries. For the Kings, DeMar DeRozan was out with a lower back issue, while Domantas Sabonis was listed as questionable due to a back injury. The Hawks were without Cody Zeller and De'Andre Hunter, and both Bogdan Bogdanovic and Kobe Bufkin were questionable with hamstring and shoulder injuries, respectively.

The matchup highlighted the teams’ contrasting recent performances. The Kings have won eight of their last 12 games, while the Hawks have struggled, particularly on the road in the second leg of back-to-back games, losing their last seven such contests.

The betting odds favored the Kings, with a moneyline of -188 and a spread of -4.5 points. The over/under was set at 235.5 points, although recent trends suggested the game might go under, given the Kings’ last six home games as favorites following a home win have all gone under the total points line.