A pair of red-hot teams clash when the Houston Rockets battle the Sacramento Kings in a key Western Conference matchup on Thursday night. Houston is coming off a 128-108 win over the Denver Nuggets on Wednesday, while Sacramento was beaten 130-115 by the Milwaukee Bucks on Tuesday. The Rockets (27-12), who have won six of seven, are 13-6 on the road this season. The Kings (20-20), who have won seven of eight, are 10-12 on their home court.

Tip-off from Golden 1 Center in Sacramento is set for 10 p.m. ET. Houston leads the all-time regular-season series 141-99, but Sacramento earned a 120-111 win on Dec. 3. The Kings are 3.5-point favorites in the latest Rockets vs. Kings odds from SportsLine consensus, while the over/under for total points scored is 224.5. Before making any Kings vs. Rockets picks, you’ll want to see the NBA predictions from the proven computer model at SportsLine.

The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every NBA game 10,000 times and has returned well over $10,000 in betting profit for $100 players on its top-rated NBA picks over the past six-plus seasons. The model enters Week 13 of the 2024-25 NBA season on a sizzling 135-97 roll on all top-rated NBA picks dating back to last season, returning well over $3,000. Anyone following at sportsbooks and on betting apps could have seen huge returns.    

Now, the model has set its sights on Rockets vs. Kings and just locked in its picks and NBA predictions. You can head to SportsLine now to see its picks. Here are several NBA betting lines for Rockets vs. Kings:

• Rockets vs. Kings spread: Sacramento -3.5
• Rockets vs. Kings over/under: 224.5 points   
• Rockets vs. Kings money line: Houston +140, Sacramento -167
• HOU: The Rockets are 5-5 against the spread in their last 10 games
• SAC: The Kings have hit the money line in seven of their last eight games (+10.05 units)     
• Rockets vs. Kings picks: See picks at SportsLine
• Rockets vs. Kings streaming: FuboTV (Try for free)

Why the Kings can cover

Point guard De’Aaron Fox is coming off a double-double in the loss to the Bucks. In that game, he scored 20 points, grabbed 11 rebounds and dished out six assists. He scored 26 points and grabbed nine rebounds in a 124-119 win over the Chicago Bulls on Sunday. In 37 games, all starts, he is averaging 26.5 points, 6.1 assists, 5.2 rebounds and 1.5 steals in 37.2 minutes.

Small forward DeMar DeRozan is one of three Kings averaging 20 or more points per game and one of five with a double-digit scoring average. In 35 games, all starts, he is averaging 21.1 points, 3.9 assists, 3.7 rebounds and 1.3 steals in 35.6 minutes. In the loss at Milwaukee, he poured in 28 points, while adding six rebounds, four assists and one steal. He had 30 points, four assists and three rebounds in a 123-118 double-overtime win over the Miami Heat on Jan. 6. See which team to pick here.

Why the Rockets can cover

Shooting guard Jalen Green is Houston’s top-scoring option. He leads the team with a 21-point scoring average to go along with 4.4 rebounds and 2.6 assists in 33 minutes of action. In a 120-118 win over the Memphis Grizzlies on Monday, he scored 42 points and added four assists and three rebounds. He had 34 points and five assists in Wednesday’s win over the Nuggets.

Center Alperen Sengun has been effective as well. In a 119-115 win at Memphis on Thursday, he registered the second of back-to-back double-doubles with 32 points and 14 rebounds with five assists. He had 26 points and 10 rebounds in a 135-112 win over the Washington Wizards on Jan. 7. For the season, he is averaging 19.3 points, 10.4 rebounds, five assists and 1.3 steals in 31.5 minutes. See which team to pick here.

How to make Rockets vs. Kings picks

The model has simulated Kings vs. Rockets 10,000 times and the results are in. The model is leaning Under on the total, projecting 219 combined points. It also says one side of the spread hits in 60% of simulations. You can only see the NBA picks at SportsLine.

So who wins Rockets vs. Kings, and which side of the spread hits 60% of the time? Visit SportsLine now to see which side of the Rockets vs. Kings spread you need to jump on, all from the model that is on a 135-97 roll on top-rated NBA picks, and find out.