Sacramento Kings vs. Portland Trail Blazers Picks and Prediction for Thursday, December 18, 2025
Use Code WWWC Sacramento Kings (6-20) vs. Portland Trail Blazers (10-16)
The NBA betting action goes on Thursday, December 18, 2025, with the huge 12-game card, including the Western Conference battle at Moda Center in Portland, OR, so we’ve prepared the Kings vs. Trail Blazers prediction to get you covered.
Sacramento meets Portland for the first time this season. They split a four-game series in 2024-25, with each team going 2-0 SU and ATS on the home court.
Let’s take a closer look at this Kings vs. Trail Blazers prediction, one of our NBA picks for Thursday night. The Trail Blazers open as 9-point home favorites with a total of 237.5 points, and the tip-off is set at 10:00 PM ET.
The Kings hope to avoid the fourth straight L
The Sacramento Kings (6-20; 8-18 ATS; 11-15 O/U) have only won one of their previous eight games overall. After stopping a four-game slide with a 127-111 victory at the Miami Heat, the Kings have dropped three straight games against the Indiana Pacers 116-105, the Denver Nuggets 136-105, and the Minnesota Timberwolves 117-103.
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Last Sunday, the Kings blew a nine-point lead in Minneapolis. They scored just 19 points in the fourth quarter and were outscored by the Timberwolves 66-51 in the second half. Sacramento shot 45.7% from the field (10-for-23 from deep), and DeMar DeRozan led the way with 17 points, four rebounds, and three assists.
Zach LaVine (20.2 PPG) suffered an ankle injury last Sunday and will miss the Trail Blazers game. Domantas Sabonis (17.2 PPG, 12.3 RPG) hasn’t played since mid-November due to a knee injury, so the Kings will be without a couple of starters on Thursday night.
Sacramento tallies just 109.0 points per 100 possessions (30th in the NBA) while surrendering a whopping 120.4 points in return (27th). The Kings are among the worst rebounding teams in the league, and the lack of height looks like a huge problem at the moment.
The Trail Blazers look for a rare consecutive win
The Portland Trail Blazers (10-16; 14-11-1 ATS; 17-9 O/U) have won two of their previous eight games overall. They stopped a three-game slide last Sunday, outlasting the Golden State Warriors 136-131 at Moda Center. Now, the Trail Blazers are hoping to string together two wins for the first time since the last day of October.
Portland managed to overcome Steph Curry’s 48-point performance. Golden State hit 24 of its 47 shots from deep, but it wasn’t enough. The Trail Blazers went 20-for-39 from downtown and 26-for-29 from the foul line. Shaedon Sharpe and Jerami Grant led the charge for Portland, notching 35 points each.
Jrue Holiday (16.7 PPG, 8.3 APG) missed his 14th straight game with a calf injury, and the veteran guard is doubtful for Thursday’s game against the Kings. Scoot Henderson is still recovering from a hamstring injury and has yet to make his season debut.
The Trail Blazers score 114.8 points per 100 possessions (17th in the NBA) while allowing 118.4 points in return (23rd). They have the third-worst defensive rebound percentage (71.7%) and the third-best offensive rebound percentage (31.0%) in the league.
Kings vs. Trail Blazers Pick
Spread Pick for Kings vs. Trail Blazers
- Sacramento Kings +9.0 (5 units)
Domantas Sabonis’ absence is a huge blow for the Kings. As I noted, the Kings lack height, so it’s no surprise they’ve been struggling on the glass. The Kings will miss Zach LaVine’s points, but they won’t miss LaVine’s terrible defense.
The Trail Blazers are favorites for a reason, but covering a 9-point spread might be a tall task. Just like Sacramento, Portland is struggling to defend. The Trail Blazers are turnover-prone and rely on 3-pointers a lot (5th in the league in 3-point rate) while hitting just 33.5% of their shots from deep (29th). I’m backing the Kings to hang around and beat the number.
Over/Under Pick for Kings vs. Trail Blazers
- Over 237.5 (5 units)
Both teams play at a fast pace. The Kings record 101.3 possessions per 48 minutes (7th in the NBA), while the Trail Blazers register 102.5 possessions per 48 minutes (2nd). Given their defensive woes, I can only look at the over when it comes to the total in this game.
The Kings don’t rely on 3-pointers (29th in 3-point rate) while making 35.3% of their shots from deep (tied for 19th). The Trail Blazers will continue to lean on triples and crush the offensive glass. The over has hit in five of the Trail Blazers’ last seven games overall and 10 of their previous 13 dates with the conference foes.
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