Phoenix Suns at Sacramento Kings 12/26/20: NBA Basketball free preview, analysis, prediction, odds and pick against the spread.
2020-12-26 22:00:00 EDT
The Phoenix Suns invade the Golden 1 Center to do battle with the Sacramento Kings on Saturday night.
The Phoenix Suns came into the season with plenty of hype and they will be looking to stay hot after outlasting the Mavericks in a 106-102 home win on Wednesday. Devin Booker led the team with 22 points on eight of 15 shooting, Mikal Bridges added 18 points with seven rebounds and two blocks, Cameron Johnson scored 15 points off the bench while DeAndre Ayton chipped in with 13 points and two blocks. As a team, the Suns shot 48 percent from the field and 11 of 30 from the 3-point line as they found themselves in a real wrestling match with the pesky Mavericks, until Chris Paul and Devin Booker connected on clutch plays in the final seconds to escape with the win.
Meanwhile, the Sacramento Kings will still be glowing from their thrilling last-second overtime win over the Nuggets on Wednesday. Buddy Hield led the team with 22 points on seven of 15 shooting, Harrison Barnes scored 21 points with nine rebounds and five assists, De’Aaron Fox added 21 points with seven assists while Cory Joseph chipped in with 15 points and four assists off the bench. As a team, the Kings shot 44 percent from the field and 10 of 31 from the 3-point line as they stole the game on a clutch putback tip-in from Hield at the buzzer.
Looking at the betting trends, the Suns are 4-0 ATS in their last four road games, 9-0 ATS in their last nine games against a team with a winning record and 11-1 ATS in their last 12 games overall. The Kings are 3-1-1 ATS in their last five home games, 6-2-1 ATS in their last nine games against a team with a winning record and 9-2-1 ATS in their last 12 games as an underdog.
Head to head, the under is 5-2 in the last seven meetings overall.
The Suns are coming into this one off the highs of beating the Mavericks in a tight contest, while the Kings will be full of confidence following their thrilling overtime win over the Nuggets. The Suns are 4-0 ATS in their last four road games and 11-1 ATS in their last 12 games overall, while the Kings are 6-2-1 ATS in their last nine games against a team with a winning record. It’s hard to split between these two squads at this early stage of the season, but the Suns are the more consistent team with better veteran leadership, so I’m taking them to escape with the win and cover in a close one.
