The veteran Los Angeles Clippers hit the road to take on the Sacramento Kings on Wednesday night inside Golden I Center in Sacramento, CA. They get a late start out west and jump it up at 10:00 pm. This is an early season battle of Pacific Division foes. 

Bookmaker has the Clippers installed as a very slim -1 point favorite. 

The Clippers (7-8) made a ton of moves in the off-season with the thought of being able to make a deep run into the playoffs. They know their title window is closing fast and they have gotten off to a slow start in 2023. They have dropped two of three after a brief three-game winning streak. 

They have not really been able to click as an offensive unit and it has shown. However, they do have a nice mix of veterans on the team that should be able to get them going. On offense, they are paced by Paul George and Kawhi Leonard. 

George is netting a team-high 24.2 points per game while Leonard is contributing 21 a game to go along with five rebounds and six assists per contest. They need these two to handle the bulk of the scoring each and every night, but if they can get more production from their bench they have plenty of time to turn this around. 

The Clippers also need to do a better job of not turning the ball over as they give it up 13 times per game. They are shooting 52% from the floor, including 32% from beyond the arc. The key is to get the big two involved early and often and once they start to create double teams, kick the ball out to the perimeter. Veteran guard James Harden is still capable of putting up 20 plus points but is still trying to find his role with the team. 

The Kings (9-6) have been a team that many think can be a nice sleeper team and make some noise if they get into the playoffs. They pushed the veteran Golden State Warriors to seven games last season before falling in the first round of the Western Conference playoffs. 

They have a nice blend of young and veteran players and they play hard every night. 

On offense, they are paced by star point guard De'Aaron Fox, who has played very well of late and has clearly stood out to become the face of the franchise. He loves to push the ball up the floor and get others involved and enters this game averaging a career-high 29 points per game to go along with a solid six assists per contest. 

The Kings are a pretty decent three-point shooting team and look for Fox to put the ball on the floor and create and try to find those sharp-shooters. That could be the difference in a Kings win or not. 

The Kings are 3-2 in their last five games and 3-2 in their last five games against the number. They are also 6-4 in their road games against the number. The Clippers are 3-2 in their last five games and 2-3 in their last five games against the number. They are a poor 2-6 in their road games against the spread and the totals have gone over in none of their last five games.