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The Sacramento Kings came into the 2022-23 NBA season as high as +40000 to win the Pacific Division, but that didn’t stop one bettor from putting some action on the long-downtrodden franchise.
After an out-of-nowhere season that has Sacramento nearing 50 wins, that gamble is paying off.
One bettor placed a relatively miniscule $25 at DraftKings Sportsbook on the Kings to take home the division — one that includes the defending champions Golden State Warriors, 2020 champs Los Angeles Lakers, the reigning No. 1 seed in the West Phoenix Suns and the Kawhi Leonard and Paul George-led Los Angeles Clippers.
On Tuesday, after the Kings took down the New Orleans Pelicans, he or she is walking away with more than $10,000.
With the win, Sacramento became the biggest preseason long shot to win a division in the four major sports leagues since at least 2010, according to ESPN Stats and Info.
Before the season, most sportsbooks pegged the Kings’ win total at 34.5 wins — they went over that total with their 35th win on Feb. 26 with 22 games to play.
The Kings have beaten the Vegas odds all season.
Their 44-34-1 record against the spread is among the best in the NBA.
On the road, they are the best in the league at 26-13.
De’Aaron Fox and Domantas Sabonis NBAE via Getty ImagesSacramento hadn’t made the playoffs in 16 years — the longest streak in professional sports, which is now held by the New York Jets.
It’s the Kings’ first division title since the 2002-03 season, and only their third in franchise history.
