An interconference matchup takes place to start out Tuesday's NBA schedule when the 24-23 Sacramento Kings visit the 35-13 Toronto Raptors.

The Kings are currently in the midst of a grueling road trip that began last Thursday night with a loss to the Charlotte Hornets and won't conclude until this Sunday in Los Angeles when they face the Clippers. They're currently 1-2 on the road trip and are 1.5 games behind the Utah Jazz for the final playoff spot in the Western Conference.

On the other hand, the Raptors should be relatively healthy and ready to go, having not played since last Saturday's blowout win over the Memphis Grizzlies. They're currently deadlocked with the Milwaukee Bucks for the best record in the Eastern Conference.

The match-up between the two teams is the final one this season. The Raptors defeated the Kings on Nov. 7 by a score of 114-105 at Golden 1 Center.

How to watch: Kings at Raptors

  • Date: Tuesday, Jan. 22
  • Time: 7:00 p.m. ET
  • Location: Scotiabank Arena -- Toronto, Canada
  • Streaming: fuboTV (free trial - NBA League Pass add-on available)
  • Live stats: Gametracker
  • Odds: Raptors -9.5

Odds and analysis

Check Sportsline's NBA pick sheet for all your daily odds. 

Storylines

Kings: The Kings will look to gain some momentum while playing the fourth game of their six-game road trip following their 123-94 beatdown at the hands of the Brooklyn Nets on Martin Luther King Day. They're 10-13 on the road and 3-6 on the latter end of back-to-back sets.

Raptors: The Raptors are one of the NBA's best teams at home with a 20-4 overall record at Scotiabank Arena. They're looking for their season-best 10th consecutive victory at home but will be without Kawhi Leonard as he sits out his third straight game due to rest. OG Anunoby will miss his fourth straight game due to personal reasons. 

Game prediction, pick

The Kings want to remain alive in the playoff race for one of the West's last playoff seeds, but they simply face an uphill battle. The Raptors are arguably the NBA's toughest team to beat at home. While Toronto will be without Leonard, the rest of the team is well-rested and the Kings have been on the road since last Thursday so it's hard to envision a scenario where Sacramento comes out on top.