Tip-off: Tuesday, 10:35 p.m. ET
Line: Los Angeles -2.5, Total: 206.5

The Lakers look to stop a three-game losing skid when they host the Kings on Tuesday night.

Sacramento has been one of the more exciting teams to watch so far this season, as it is led by two superstars in SF Rudy Gay and C DeMarcus Cousins. Unfortunately Cousins has been missing some time with a viral infection and the team has lost five of its past seven contests both SU and ATS. It was able to get a win on Monday night though, as it took on the Jazz at home as 5-point favorites and finished off the game with a 101-92 victory. The Kings shot 47.3% from the floor while holding Utah to a mere 40.5% FG in the win, as they out-rebounded their opponent by 10 and recorded eight steals. The Lakers have really struggled this season with Kobe Bryant surrounded by a makeshift group around him, and come into this one as losers in seven of their past nine contests. The boys in gold and purple have really done a poor job on both ends of the floor during their recent three-game losing streak while averaging a mere 92.7 PPG and allowing 109.3 PPG. They have also lost all three of the games ATS, including most recently when they suffered a 104-87 loss as 2.5-point underdogs at the hands of New Orleans. L.A. shot a mere 40% from the floor in the poor effort while the Pelicans hit 51.8% of their shots and out-rebounded the Lakers 50-34. Los Angeles has dominated this series in recent years, going 6-2 SU (7-1 ATS) over the past three seasons. The club was able to take three of four games SU (4-0 ATS) while scoring an average of 108.5 PPG in the 2013-14 campaign. Bettors should realize that the Lakers are a meager 31-51 ATS (38%) in home games after allowing 100+ points for three straight games since 1996 while the Kings are 149-196 ATS (43%) when the line is +3 to -3 over the same timeframe. The injury report still has C DeMarcus Cousins (illness) out for some time, while PG Jeremy Lin (leg) is questionable for Los Angeles.

Which California team will prevail on Tuesday night? For the answer, connect to The Platinum Sheet for all the Expert picks throughout the entire 2014-15 season. While StatFox Forecaster has a stellar 63% ATS record (60-36) in featured games this season, the five experts have also caught fire with a collective 80% ATS mark (28-7) in NBA Best Bets since Nov. 29. StatFox Gary is 7-0 ATS during this timeframe to give him a 63% ATS record (19-11) in NBA Best Bets this season, while StatFox Brian is 7-1 ATS since Nov. 29 to improve to 57% ATS (17-13) in NBA Best Bets this season. Also during this surge, StatFox Dave is 6-1 ATS while StatFox Scott is 5-2 ATS.

Sacramento’s offense remains in the middle of the pack with its 101.4 PPG on 45.8% shooting from the floor this season. Unfortunately, similar to their counterparts in this contest, the Kings also struggle on the defensive side of things and have allowed their opponents to score 101.2 PPG (10th in NBA) behind 44.3% shooting (9th in league) on the season. SF Rudy Gay (21.1 PPG, 6.3 RPG, 4.5 APG, 1.1 SPG) has had to carry the load with Cousins out and has 20+ points in five of his past six games while doing great in the win over Utah with 29 points, six rebounds and three steals. In his 25 career games (24 starts) against the Lakers in his career, Gay has tallied 18.6 PPG (45% FG) to go with 5.8 RPG, 1.4 SPG and 1.3 BPG. PG Darren Collison (15.8 PPG, 6.3 APG, 3.8 RPG, 1.7 SPG) was a great pickup for this club and has stepped up on offense with 19.3 PPG over the past three contests with Cousins out. He has faced Los Angeles 14 times (9 starts) in his career while averaging 13.6 PPG (50% FG), 4.4 APG and 1.4 SPG. PF Jason Thompson (4.9 PPG, 6.4 RPG) has also stepped up to fill the Cousins void with 12.3 PPG and 9.3 RPG over his past three games.

The Lakers offense has not been horrible this season with 102.5 PPG (12th in league), but shoots a poor 44.2% from the floor (9th-worst in league). Unfortunately it all goes downhill on the defensive end of the court, as they have given up the most points in the NBA (110.9 PPG) while allowing opponents to make 48.2% on their shots (2nd-worst in league). SG Kobe Bryant (25.2 PPG, 5.1 RPG, 4.8 APG, 1.3 SPG) is trying to keep this faltering club afloat, but is shooting a putrid 39% FG on the season. He’s had plenty of experience against the Kings (59 games, 51 starts) where he's averaged 26.8 PPG (46% FG) to go with 6.1 RPG, 5.4 APG and 1.5 SPG. C Jordan Hill (13.4 PPG, 9.1 RPG, 1.0 BPG) has really fallen off during the team’s three-game skid while averaging 9.7 PPG, 5.7 RPG and no assists. He faced Sacramento four times last season, (2 starts) netting just 8.8 PPG on 39% FG, but also grabbing 9.5 RPG. PF Carlos Boozer (12.4 PPG, 6.6 RPG) has been removed from the starting unit, but still managed 12 points and six rebounds in his first game off the bench. He really had his issues when he faced the Kings over two games as a member of the Bulls last season, scoring just 8.5 PPG (32% FG) and adding 7.5 RPG.