Zach Thompson details his preview and prediction for the Cavaliers at Kings matchup as part of Saturday’s NBA slate.

The NBA has a busy Saturday with games spread throughout the day, and the last two games of the day tip off at 10:00 p.m. ET. In one of those two games, the Sacramento Kings welcome the Cleveland Cavaliers to the Golden1 Center. If you’re wrapping up a long day of hoops, this matchup is one you won’t want to miss, since it’s likely that we’ll see James Harden’s Cavaliers debut. Let’s take a look at the odds on DraftKings Sportsbook and examine my favorite pick for this Saturday’s matchup.

On DraftKings Sportsbook, the Cavaliers are heavy 13.5-point road favorites in the matchup, with the point total at 232.5. Check out my preview and prediction for today’s Cavaliers at Kings contest.

Cavaliers at Kings prediction, preview

The Harden angle will be the one everyone is looking for in this contest. Harden is officially on the injury report as questionable due to the trade pending designation, but if he plays he’ll be in a great spot against the Kings, who are 0-10 in their last 10 games and have allowed the most points and second-most assists to point guards over that span.

The Kings are giving up the fourth-most points per game on the season (120.4) and the third-most over the last 10 games (120.1). Their most recent loss came to Harden’s former team, the Clippers, who beat them 114-111. That loss on Friday started their back-to-back with their 11th straight defeat, dropping them to 12-41 on the season and 9-18 at home. They haven’t issued an injury report yet for the second game of their back-to-back set.

Domantas Sabonis sat out Friday with lower back soreness, and De’Andre Hunter left the game early with an eye injury. Keegan Murray and Zach LaVine are still out with their injuries, while Malik Monk and DeMar DeRozan have been carrying the load, so either or both of them could rest on Saturday as well. The Kings sent guards Keon Ellis and Dennis Schroder to Cleveland at the trade deadline in exchange for Hunter, and those three players could face their former teams on Saturday if Hunter is OK to play after his injury on Friday.

The Cavs listed Dean Wade as doubtful and Harden as questionable, but aside from Evan Mobley’s extended absence, they should be mostly ready to roll alongside Harden, if The Beard is ready for his Cleveland debut.

The Cavaliers are 8-2 over their last 10 games, averaging 28.8 assists and 116.7 points per game over that 10-game span. Adding Harden to the mix will be a fascinating addition to the rotation and could raise the team’s ceiling even higher. They are currently 31-21 and sitting No. 4 in the Eastern Conference.

The Cavs beat the Kings, 123-118 just over two weeks ago in Cleveland, and they’ll look to extend Sacramento’s slide and hand it another loss on Saturday night, with or without James Harden available.

Donovan Mitchell has been leading the way, with Jaylon Tyson stepping into a bigger role. Jarrett Allen had a 40-point game during their recent success, and Schroder and Ellis seem to be very good fits in the second unit.

Cavaliers at Kings pick, best bet

The Cavs’ offense has been rolling, and they should be in a smash spot against the Kings with or without Harden. They have scored 124 points or more in three of their last four games this season. Since the Kings are playing the second night of their back-to-back and Cleveland could get a boost from Harden’s debut, I expect them to score plenty of points in this matchup. The spread is a little high for me, so I’m going to just back the Cavs to score, score, and score some more. Rather than giving all the points and risking a back-door cover, I’ll just take them to get to at least 124 points once again, like they did against the Clippers, Kings and Lakers over the last couple of weeks

Best bet: Cleveland Cavaliers over 123.5 points (-110)