Parlays

Two struggling teams will meet on Monday night when the Sacramento Kings visit the Indiana Pacers. The Kings have a record of 6-17 and have lost 4 of their last 5 games. They at least managed to beat Miami in their most recent outing while shooting 53 percent and getting 42 points from Zach LaVine. The Pacers have a record of 5-18, but they have won 3 of their last 5 games. Indiana is coming off a 120-105 road victory against the Chicago Bulls. Pascal Siakam led the team with 36 points and 10 rebounds and the Pacers shot 54 percent. Each team will be looking to make it 2 straight wins tonight. 

The Kings may have found their winning formula against Miami. It is to have Zach LaVine play aggressively and lead the offense while DeMar DeRozan acts as a complement. The play of LaVine and DeRozan is key until Domantas Sabonis returns from injury. LaVine leads the Kings in scoring with 20.9 points per game, but he has been streaky this season. Before yesterday’s 42-point outburst, LaVine shot below 35% and scored no more than 13 points in 3 of his last 5 games — including when he only scored 2 against Houston. Unfortunately, he has a difficult matchup tonight against Andrew Nembhard. Nembhard is one of the better wing defenders in the NBA and is coming off a defensive lockdown of Josh Giddey. Giddey was only 2-for-9 from the floor and committed 5 turnovers. The Pacers have been on a good stretch in their last 5 and they get the opportunity to keep that rolling on their home floor. If they can limit LaVine and a Kings offense that ranks 27th in the NBA in points per game, the visitors may have no path to victory.

Kings vs Pacers prediction: Indiana -4 (-110) available at time of publishing. Playable at that number.

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Over the weekend we saw just how much Devin Booker means to the Phoenix Suns, as they lost 117-98 at Houston. It was a struggle offensively, with Dillon Brooks scoring 23 points and just 2 other starters scoring in double-figures. Ball movement was another issue, as the Suns accumulated just 14 assists on the night — that type of effort won’t get them far. Things don’t get any easier on Monday as they visit Minnesota, with Brooks now also being on the injury report as a game-time decision. If he isn’t able to play, the Suns could have real issues once again reaching the century mark.

Minnesota has been on a roll, winning 5 in a row. The schedule has been kind to them over the past 3 games as they beat the Pelicans twice and the Clippers on Saturday. This is one of the healthiest teams in the league right now, which is always a good thing. Offensively, they are fourth best in efficiency over those 5 games, averaging 124.4 points per 100 possessions. This has been a matchup dominated by the T-Wolves over the years; they have won 8 of 10 meetings, covering 7 times and outscoring the Suns by 8.4 points per game.

The injury situation isn’t good in Phoenix. If both Brooks and Booker are out, the Suns are doomed. Anthony Edwards has hit a bit of a rough stretch in the last 2 games, but a bounce-back performance could happen on Monday. He has scored 40+ in 2 of 3 meetings against this team. The last time these 2 played, Minnesota let an 8-point lead slip away with a minute to go. I’m backing the ‘Wolves to get revenge and cover.

Suns vs Timberwolves prediction: Minnesota -9.5 (-110) available at time of publishing. Playable at that number.

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The Spurs and Pelicans have both shown offensive volatility, making Under 236.5 an appealing angle despite their earlier 245 point meeting. San Antonio’s defense has actually held up reasonably well in this matchup, posting a 116.3 defensive rating against New Orleans, while the Pelicans’ own defensive issues remain glaring — they allow over 122 points per game, one of the league’s worst marks. Offensively, the Spurs continue to suffer through cold stretches, including a recent game where they managed only 96 points on 33% shooting, illustrating how quickly their scoring can collapse when forced into half court execution.

The Pelicans aren’t much more reliable in structured sets, thriving mostly in transition but bogging down when teams slow the pace. San Antonio usually forces that slower tempo, which reduces possessions and scoring spikes. Both clubs have struggled to generate consistent late game offense, often settling for contested jumpers or inefficient drives. Combined with their uneven shooting percentages and lack of elite half court creation outside of isolated bursts, this matchup leans toward grinding, defensive leaning stretches rather than a full 48 minute shootout. When factoring in lower offensive ratings and pace tendencies, under remains a strong play.

Spurs vs Pelicans Prediction: Under 236.5 (-110) available at time of publishing. Playable to 234.5

The Toronto Maple Leafs will host the Tampa Bay Lightning on Monday night to kick off the week. Both of these teams are riddled with injuries right now. The Lightning were without starting netminder Andrei Vasilevskiy, superstar forwards Nikita Kucherov and Brayden Point and shutdown defenseman Ryan McDonagh on Saturday, when they lost 2-0 to the Islanders. The Leafs remain without both of their top 2 goalies and 2 of their top shutdown defensemen in Brandon Carlo and Chris Tanev. It is unclear who will be returning to their respective lineups on Monday, but the Maple Leafs’ forward group remains intact. They have been playing better hockey lately, as they are winners in 4 of their last 6 games. They remain one of the better offensive teams in hockey, averaging 3.39 goals per game. If they can tighten things up defensively, they should continue to put wins in the column.

If the Lightning are without Kucherov on Monday, they may struggle to keep up with the Leafs offensively. Even if he is in the lineup, I like the Leafs to get it done on home ice. Give me Toronto on the money line.

Lightning vs Maple Leafs prediction: Toronto ML (-120) available at time of publishing. Playable at that number.

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The Buffalo Sabres continue their 6-game road trip with a matchup against the Calgary Flames on Monday night. The road has not been kind to the Sabres when it comes to scoring goals. Buffalo is averaging 2.42 goals per game on the road so far this season, which ranks 31st in the NHL. That is a steep drop off from the Sabres’ 3.31 goals per game at home, which is good for 10th in the NHL. Buffalo’s road woes could continue in this one, as Calgary goaltender Dustin Wolf is in a groove. Wolf has allowed just 2 total goals in 3 December starts, making 64 saves on 66 shots in that span.

The Flames have been among the lowest-scoring teams in the NHL all season long, as they rank dead last with 2.33 goals per game. The powerplay has been especially woeful, converting at a measly 13.1% clip — which also ranks last in the league. Buffalo isn’t the strongest defensive team out there, but its defensive inconsistencies may be neutralized by Calgary’s lack of offense. Look to the under in this one.

Sabres vs Flames prediction: Under 6 (-105) available at time of publishing. Playable at that number.

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The Minnesota Wild face the Seattle Kraken on Monday night in the NHL. These Western Conference teams are at very different spots in the standings, but neither has won a ton in recent play. How will this one shape up? Here is a Wild vs Kraken prediction.

Following an extremely impressive run of 12-1-2 for the Wild, they have cooled off and are 1-2-1 in their last 4 games. However, I believe this game presents major bounce-back potential. The aforementioned impressive streak they just went on was not a fluke, as the Wild are an impressive team. Led by the elite Kirill Kaprizov, they are a deep team with talent throughout and boast an excellent mix of young and old. Especially in net, as their duo of Filip Gustavsson and Jesper Wallstedt are 27 and 23 years old, respectively, and have shown to be threatening netminders this season. The Kraken roster does not show much in terms of depth or elite talent, and their record reflects that. At 11-9-6, they are near the depths of the league — and they are 0-4-1 in their last 5 games while being outscored 21-11. Even on home ice, I don’t expect much from them. Minnesota has much more to play for, as points within a challenging Central Division are imperative. For this Wild vs Kraken prediction, I’m going with Minnesota.

Wild vs Kraken prediction: Minnesota ML (-135) available at time of publishing. Playable at that number.

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