Kings vs Mavericks NBA Play-In Pick: Who Advances In This Win-Or-Go-Home Matchup? (Apr 16)

• The Kings finished the regular season with a 40-42 record, the ninth-best record in the Western Conference.
• Dallas concluded the regular season with a 39-43 mark, good enough for the 10th-best record in the conference playoff race.
• These teams last played on Mar. 3, with the Kings cruising to a 122-98 victory.

One of the games on Wednesday’s NBA slate features the Sacramento Kings hosting the Dallas Mavericks. Which team will advance to the final round of the play-in tournament in our Kings vs Mavericks pick?

Kings Hope To Crown The Mavericks

On Sunday, the Kings ended a two-game slide with a 109-98 win over the Phoenix Suns. Domantas Sabonis led the starting five with 20 points, 12 rebounds, six assists, and three steals.

Zach LaVine put up 16, while Jonas Valanciunas provided valuable minutes off the bench, finishing with 22 points, 10 rebounds, and four assists.

Phoenix had an opportunity to cut into a nine-point deficit. But a missed layup by Grayson Allen, followed by a 3-pointer from Trey Lyles, extended the Kings’ lead to 12 points.

Mavericks Look To Bounce Back From Blowout Loss In Season Finale

Following a 120-118 win over the Atlanta Hawks on Apr. 2, the Mavericks have dropped four of their last five games, including a 132-97 shellacking at the hands of the Memphis Grizzlies in the season finale for both teams.

Daniel Gafford was one of five players who reached double figures. He led the way with 20 points and seven rebounds on 8-of-10 shooting from the floor.

Meanwhile, Jaden Hardy accounted for 17 of the bench unit’s 48 points. Dallas was within reasonable striking distance, trailing by 13 points at the break.

However, the Grizzlies poured it on in the second half, outscoring Dallas by a 65-43 margin, including a decisive 37-21 edge in the third quarter.

Kings vs Mavericks Pick: Who Comes Out On Top In This Play-In Showdown?

Sacramento is 5-5 in its last 10 games, while Dallas has dropped six of its previous 10 contests. Sacramento is not a great defensive team by any means, but it did finish with the seventh-highest offensive efficiency rating.

On the other side of the matchup, there isn’t anything to be overly excited for if you are a Mavericks fan, as the team finished 15th in scoring and 20th in points allowed per outing.

The Kings have won five of the last seven meetings between the franchises, including all three matchups during the 2024-25 campaign. Therefore, backing the Kings to advance to the next round feels like a safe bet.