The Kings Plus the Points – Sacramento at Phoenix
BetUS NBA Basketball Betting Odds: PHOENIX -13.5, Total 224.5
Here are some of the NBA pro basketball sports betting trends as they relate to this matchup:
* SAC has covered three of its last nine games
* SAC has lost eight of its last nine games SU * SAC has lost its last five road games SU
* PHX has covered two of its last 12 games
* PHX has lost five of its last seven games SU
* PHX has covered one of its last eight home games
* PHX has lost four of its last six home games SU
Also…
* PHX has covered seven of the last ten meetings
* PHX has won the last five meetings SU
* Four of the last six meetings have gone UNDER the total
* PHX has covered four of the last five meetings as the home team
* PHX has won the last five meetings SU as the home team
* Five of the last six meetings in Phoenix have gone OVER the total
* PHX has had the shooting edge in eight of the last ten meetings
* PHX has had the rebounding edge in five of the last seven meetings
* PHX has made more three-pointers in each of the last four meetings
Sacramento hit something of a low water mark on Friday night when they lost by 21 points at the ARCO Arena to the Bulls. They managed to come back and beat the Oklahoma City Thunder last night. Is that enough of a sign to move with them here?
Phoenix came to ARCO on November 14, very early in the season, and won a 97-95 mail-biter, which came before Sacramento made its change from Reggie Theus to Kenny Natt in the coaching spot. The last three meetings before that were very easily won by Phoenix, which was playing at a faster pace at the time. The Suns have had a day off, which means Shaquille O’Neal will come in relatively fresh. O’Neal had 18 points and eight rebounds in his last outing against Chicago, and he has his season average up to over 18 points a contest.
Steve Nash has been dishing out a lot of assists – 56 in his last four games, in fact. Hosting teams at the US Airways Center, however, has been a problem for this team. Phoenix has actually lost its last three home games to the Timberwolves, Spurs and Bulls, and overall the Suns have a 6-16 ATS record on their home floor.
If there are things encouraging for Sacramento, they start with Kevin martin. In last night’s win against Oklahoma City, he got to the free throw line 15 times en route to a 37-point performance. Martin has averaged 29 points over his last four outings. Rookie Jason Thompson has scored in double figures in each of his last 12 games; he also has four double-doubles in his last nine contests. Spencer Hawes has been unhappy about his playing time, but he was strong against the Thunder, with 13 points, seven boards and three blocked shots. With Beno Udrih ailing, they will probably look to Bobby Jackson, the long-time veteran, for more help.
The Kings are 7-2 ATS when playing the back end of a back-to-back on the road. We don’t trust Phoenix laying points in its own building. So despite the scheduling edge, we’re taking the points with Sacramento, the 13.5-point underdog in the BetUS NBA betting odds.
