Another gigantic showdown within the wild, wild, Western Conference is soon to be underway as the Phoenix Suns take on the Sacramento Kings. Join us for our NBA odds series, where our Suns-Kings prediction and pick will be revealed.
After it appeared that the entire Phoenix Suns fan base was ready to burn the city down after laying an egg in the first of two matchups versus the Los Angeles Clippers, it was the Suns that got back on track against a short-handed ‘Clips squad on Wednesday by a score of 124-108. Fighting for their lives to avoid playing in the Play-In Tournament, Phoenix currently sits a half-game behind the New Orleans Pelicans for the sixth-seed out west. With only two games remaining on the regular season scheduled slate, it is safe to say that the Suns need to win out in order to guarantee themselves a first-round matchup with the three-seed.
Meanwhile, the Kings are in a very similar position but their odds to escape the treacherous Play-In Tournament are much more dire. As it stands, the Kings are entering play on Friday night with a record of 45-34 which is good for the eighth-best squad in the west. Unfortunately, with only a pair of games remaining in the regular season, Sacramento sits behind New Orleans by a full two games in the standings. With partaking in the Play-In Tournament seeming like it is going to be a guarantee, the Kings' next area of focus needs to be finding a way to earn home-court advantage in the 7th-8th place game.
Here are the NBA odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
NBA Odds: Suns-Kings Odds
Phoenix Suns: -3 (-110)
Moneyline: -148
Sacramento Kings: +3 (-110)
Moneyline: +126
Over: 224 (-110)
Under: 224 (-110)
How to Watch Suns vs. Kings
Time: 10:30 ET/7:30 PT
TV: NBA TV
Stream: fuboTV (Click for free trial)
Why The Suns Could Cover The Spread/Win
During the Suns' loss to the Clippers on Tuesday, Phoenix could not have played poorer, especially in regards to their horrendous shooting. By the time the clock had hit triple zeroes, the Suns put together a 33% shooting percentage and shot terrible from three-point range. Luckily, the Suns bounced back in a big way during their second act against LA as they improved their shooting metrics by 15% en route to scoring 124 points in the 16-point win. On paper, the main thing that Phoenix has struggled with this season is consistency. Often times, the Suns look like they could be a bonafide contender, but then they will showcase that they are nowhere near being the team they should be. Whether it is too late remains to be seen, but Phoenix MUST figure out putting forth more consistent performances until now and but the time the postseason begins.
All together, the best part of Phoenix' game happens to be their rock-solid conversion rate from the free-throw line. Not only are the Suns within the top-ten of the league in free-throw attempted per game, but they also shoot a healthy 81% from the charity stripe. It will be vital for Phoenix to not settle for jumpers and instead put their heads down in drives to the rim to earn trips to the free-throw line and also get Sacramento in foul trouble.
Why The Kings Could Cover The Spread/Win
On the other side of things, there is no question that the Kings are an extremely dangerous bunch when clicking on all cylinders. Offensively, this team doesn't have a whole lot of weaknesses from any spot on the floor. Whether it's down low in the form of Domantas Sabonis and his near-perfect touch from around the rim or De'Aaron Fox' dynamic athleticism with the ball in his hands, this Kings crew is a handful to deal. More so, Fox is absolutely terrorizing defenses of late as he has scored at least 29 points in three of his last four games.
While many know what they are going to expect from guys like Fox and Sabonis, be on the lookout for Harrison Barnes to step up his game offensively. Over the course of his last five clashes, he has scored less than ten points in four of those outings. In general, the savvy 31-year-old is averaging 12 points per game on the year. Clearly, some added contributions in the scoring department will be huge in Sacramento's pursuit to cover the spread.
Defensively is where the Kings tend to struggle, as they surrender 115 points per game which ranks near the middle of the pack of the league. All in all, Sacramento must string together some stops if they want any shot in this one.
Final Suns-Kings Prediction & Pick
While home-court advantage may be a huge aspect in this contest, the Suns are plenty more desperate to get a win. However, if the Kings end up victorious, don't be surprised if this ends up being a Play-In preview. Regardless, side with Phoenix in this one despite their overall inconsistency.
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Final Suns-Kings Prediction & Pick: Suns -3 (-110)
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