Two of the best teams in the Western Conference will square off Tuesday night as the Sacramento Kings (32-24) take on the Phoenix Suns (31-27). The Suns will host this one at the Footprint Center, with tipoff scheduled for 9:00 pm ET.
The Suns are the favorites in this one playing at home. They are -158 to win, while the Kings’ moneyline sits at +136. The spread features Sacramento as 3.5-point underdogs (-110), and the over/under for total points is 234.5.
Kings Look To Stay Solid On The Road
Of the top five teams in the Western Conference, only one of them has a winning record on the road. The Kings enter play 15-12 when playing as the visitors, and they hope to add another tally to that win column Tuesday night.
Offensively, the Kings have been the best team in the NBA. They lead the scoring rankings as they are averaging 119.6 points per game (115.4 on the road).
Leading the offense is De’Aaron Fox, who is averaging 24.6 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 6.2 assists. Other major contributors include Domantas Sabonis (18.7 points, 12.2 rebounds, 6.9 assists), Harrison Barnes (14.9 points, 4.6 rebounds), and K Huerter (14.8 points, 3.4 rebounds).
Defensively, the Kings have struggled a bit. They rank 23rd in the league, allowing an average of 117.1 points per game to opponents.
Suns Hope To Make Move Up In The West
At 31-27, the Suns currently sit nine games back of the Nuggets in the West. Still, with only two games separating them and the Kings, they are hoping to start making a push up the Western Conference standings.
While trade deadline acquisition Kevin Durant remains out, Phoenix is still loaded with talent. Devin Booker (26.6 points, 4.6 rebounds, 5.5 assists), Deandre Ayton (18.6 points, 10.2 rebounds), and Chris Paul (13.8 points, 4.2 rebounds, 8.7 assists) have all had really solid seasons.
Durant may not be playing, but the other player acquired in that deal, T.J. Warren, has been upgraded to probable for this one. In 26 games this season, he has averaged 9.5 points per game.
The defense of the Suns is far better than the Kings. They currently rank fifth in scoring defense, allowing an average of 111.3 points per game (109.1 at home). Offensively, though, they rank just 22nd, averaging 112.7 points per game.
Take The Kings And The Points
Looking at the trends, the Kings are 12-6 in their last 18 games. While they are just 2-4 against the spread in their last six games, they are 6-3 against the spread in their last nine versus the Suns.
As for Phoenix, they are 4-1 in their last five games and 9-4 against the spread in their last 13. In their last seven home games, the team is a solid 5-2 against the spread.
This is a classic battle of solid offense versus solid defense. The last time these two played the Suns won 122-117 on the road, but that was also back at the end of November.
Expect this one to remain close throughout. For that reason, take the high-octane offense of the Kings and the +3.5 points (-110).
