Chicago Bulls vs. Sacramento Kings Picks and Prediction: Sexton's Hot Hand Meets a Kings Team in Freefall
The Chicago Bulls (26-37) travel to Golden 1 Center to face the Sacramento Kings (14-50) on Sunday, March 8, tipping off at 9:00 PM ET, with Josh Giddey and Matas Buzelis each listed as questionable after sitting out Thursday's game in Phoenix with ankle sprains. Sacramento reached loss number 50 on Friday, dropping 133-123 at home to New Orleans to push their losing streak to three, with Domantas Sabonis, Zach LaVine, and Keegan Murray all unavailable for what remains of a season Sacramento would rather fast-forward. Chicago opened as a 2.5-point road favorite, and the total sits at 234, which asks a lot from an offense averaging 110.4 points per game. Collin Sexton just put up 30 in a road upset over Phoenix without the two players listed as questionable tonight, making it three straight 20-plus performances, and the Kings rank last in the Western Conference in three-point shooting at 33.4%.
OC Staff - March 8, 2026, 12:00 PM EDT
3 Minute ReadChicago Bulls vs. Sacramento Kings Picks and Prediction: Sexton's Hot Hand Meets a Kings Team in Freefall
Bulls vs. Kings Recent Performance
Chicago has won two of its last three, breaking a stretch that bottomed out at 11 consecutive losses in a winless February. The win in Phoenix is the one that matters tonight: Sexton scored 30 on 11-of-19 shooting, Tre Jones added 21, and the Bulls held off a late Suns run to win 105-103 without Giddey, Buzelis, Jalen Smith, Patrick Williams, Anfernee Simons, or Jaden Ivey in the lineup. Guerschon Yabusele chipped in 16 and Rob Dillingham added 11 off the bench. Chicago shoots 46.9% from the field, averages 14.6 made threes per game at a 36.4% clip, and pulls down 44.7 rebounds per night. The road record is 10-19, but the talent gap tonight is as wide as it gets for a Bulls team this deep into a lost season.
Sacramento enters on a three-game losing streak after the Pelicans made Golden 1 Center look like a shootaround on Friday. Precious Achiuwa put up 29 points and 12 rebounds, Westbrook added 19 and 10 assists, and none of it was enough against New Orleans. The Kings are 9-22 at home and have lost nine consecutive games at Golden 1 Center. Their defense allows 121.3 points per game on the season, opponents shoot 49.6% from the floor against them, and the team ranks dead last in the Western Conference from three at 33.4%. DeRozan (18.2 PPG on 48.8% shooting) and Westbrook (15.3 PPG) carry the offense, but Sacramento's ceiling is a team that looks good for about 16 minutes before it falls apart defensively.
Chicago Bulls vs. Sacramento Kings Head to Head
One meeting this season, and Chicago handled it comfortably. The Bulls won 126-113 at the United Center on October 30, with Buzelis dropping 27 points and Giddey finishing just short of a triple-double with 20 points, 12 assists, and 8 rebounds. Zach LaVine, who has since torn the tendons in his finger and is done for the year, scored 30 in a losing effort for Sacramento. The Kings who showed up in October are a fundamentally different roster from the one Chicago sees tonight. Sacramento is 0-10 SU in their last 10 games against Eastern Conference opponents, and the Bulls are 4-1 ATS in their last five meetings with the Kings.
Chicago Bulls vs. Sacramento Kings Date, Time, and Where to Watch
- Date: Sunday, March 8, 2026
- Time: 9:00 PM ET
- How to Watch: NBC Sports California, Chicago Sports Network Plus, NBA League Pass
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Bulls vs. Kings Odds
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Bulls vs. Kings Team News
Giddey (ankle) and Buzelis (ankle) are the ones to watch before tip-off. Both sat out Thursday's win in Phoenix after suffering sprains in the March 3 loss to Oklahoma City, and both downplayed the severity postgame. Billy Donovan confirmed the ankle diagnosis but did not commit to a timeline, and with the play-in no longer a realistic target, there is no urgency to rush either back on a five-game California road swing. If both sit again, Sexton slots into the starting role and gets 35-plus minutes against a Sacramento defense that has no real answer for his attacking style. Jalen Smith (calf), Patrick Williams (quad), Anfernee Simons (wrist), and Jaden Ivey (knee) are all out, with Zach Collins and Noa Essengue done for the season.
Sacramento's injury list covers both ends of the floor. Sabonis is out for the season with a back injury, removing the team's best rebounder at 11.4 per game. LaVine (finger surgery) is done for the year, which strips away 19.2 points per game. De'Andre Hunter (eye) and Dylan Cardwell (ankle) are also unavailable. Murray re-aggravated his ankle after a brief return and is currently out as well. DeRozan and Westbrook run the offense, Achiuwa handles most of the paint work, and the rest of the rotation is whatever is available.
Prediction: Bulls 120, Kings 109
Chicago's offense is more efficient at every level of the floor, and Sacramento's defense gives up points in chunks right now. True shooting percentage tells the story: Bulls at 58.2%, Kings at 55.6%, on a team allowing 121.3 per game. The pace lands somewhere in the 101-102 possession range, which suits Chicago's style and limits the volume Sacramento needs to stay close. DeRozan and Westbrook keep it competitive through three quarters, Sexton hits 20-plus again, and the Bulls second unit closes it out before Golden 1 Center empties. Final margin lands around 11.
Best Bet: Bulls -2.5 (-105) Click here to get the best odds at bet365 Sportsbook
A 2.5-point spread is tight for a matchup against a 14-50 team that has not won at home in nine tries. Sacramento is 1-4 ATS in their last five games, 0-9 SU at Golden 1 Center during that stretch, and 2-12 ATS on Sundays this season. Chicago is 4-1 ATS in their last five meetings with the Kings and just covered as road underdogs in Phoenix without their top two players. The 62% of public money already sitting on the Bulls side reflects a line the market is pricing correctly.
The injury question around Giddey and Buzelis is the only real uncertainty on this number. If both suit up on minutes restrictions, the margin widens and the -2.5 looks like a gift. If both sit, it's a Sexton-and-Jones production against a defense that allowed 30 points in the paint during both recent losses. Sacramento fans backing the Kings +2.5 at home are putting real faith in a team that has lost nine straight at Golden 1 and ranks last in the league in multiple defensive categories. That's a tough sell at any price.
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