Kings vs. Clippers Prediction, NBA Odds & Best Bets (10/21)

Fact checked at 7:50 AM ET, Oct 21, 2026

Odds as of Oct 21, 7:44 AM ET

Neither team opens the season at full strength. The Clippers start their first season since trading Kawhi Leonard to Toronto without Bradley Beal, Brandon Ingram and Max Strus, all ruled out, so Darius Garland runs the offense with rookie Keaton Wagler next to him. Sacramento went 22-60 last season and 0-5 in the preseason, then lost Ben Simmons to a torn Achilles in practice on Sunday, days after he had played his way into the starting lineup. The Kings are also without centers Maxime Raynaud and Dylan Cardwell, and Malik Monk is questionable with a sore ankle.

The Clippers are 4.5-point favorites with the total at 228.5. Tip-off is Wednesday at 10:30 PM ET at Intuit Dome in Inglewood.

We're betting on who plays center. Tyronn Lue has moved Brook Lopez to the bench behind Isaiah Jackson, and the Kings have one healthy big man behind Domantas Sabonis: Precious Achiuwa, who can also slide into the forward minutes Simmons leaves behind.

Kings vs. Clippers Predictions

• Pick #1: Brook Lopez Under 10.5 Points (-123)
• Pick #2: Precious Achiuwa Over 8.5 Points (-119)

PICK #1: Brook Lopez Under 10.5 Points (-123)

Lue said Saturday that Jackson will open the season as the starting center, with Lopez as his backup, and the exhibitions told the same story. Lopez played 7, 15 and 8 minutes in the Clippers' three preseason games and scored 1, 6 and 9 points. Jackson started the finale against Denver and logged 26 minutes, while rookie Baba Miller put up 15 points and five rebounds in 21 minutes off the bench. That's one more big body in line for the time Lopez used to get.

We've seen this version of Lopez before. In the 43 games he played last season before the Clippers traded Ivica Zubac to Indiana at the February deadline, he averaged 6.5 points in 17.3 minutes and scored 11 or more only eight times. His 8.5-point season average came mostly from the bigger job he inherited after the trade. Now he's 38 and behind Jackson again. The -123 price puts the Under at 55.2%, and we think it hits more often than that.

What could go wrong is a hot night from three. With Beal, Ingram and Strus out, the Clippers need points from somewhere, Lopez made 4 of 6 shots in his eight minutes in the finale, and one preview still lists him as the starter. If he starts and plays 30 minutes, his 21-point game at Portland in April shows how fast he can get past this number.

PICK #2: Precious Achiuwa Over 8.5 Points (-119)

We're betting on Achiuwa's minutes. With Raynaud and Cardwell out, he's the only true center behind Sabonis, and Simmons' injury opens forward minutes he has already played. He started four of Sacramento's five preseason games, played at least 21 minutes in each of the last four and scored 18, 8, 12 and 13 in them. The 12 came with 11 rebounds in a start against Portland on Oct 13 while Sabonis rested. The 13 came off the bench in the finale at San Antonio, where the Spurs won the glass 61-38.

Last season he averaged 10.1 points in 23.9 minutes over 73 games. In the 25 games he played between 21 and 30 minutes, he got to 9 points 17 times. The Clippers are thin up front as well, with Ingram and Yanic Konan Niederhauser out. The book is asking for 54.3% at -119, and if he gets his preseason minutes, he should clear that.

He did leave the Oct 13 game with a right ankle injury, though he played 22 minutes three days later and isn't on the injury report. The bigger danger is a short night. In the 30 games he played 20 minutes or fewer last season, he averaged 4.8 points. If Doug Christie goes small or leans on Jonathan Mogbo, this one gets harder.

21+ (18+ where permitted). Odds subject to change. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, call 1-800-GAMBLER.