You may be surprised to know its Sacramento that's been on a
little bit of a hot streak as of late, not Phoenix. The NBA odds makers make
the Steve Nash and the Suns a one point favorite at the ARCO arena.
The Sacramento Kings are putting together a nice late-season surge,
regardless of all hopes of reaching the postseason being long gone.
After beating Philadelphia in overtime on Sunday, they've
now won three straight and four of their last five, their only loss coming
against the streaking Chicago Bulls in the Windy City.
All three of those successive victories have come on the
road as Sacramento has defeated a few teams that are trying desperate to reach
the playoffs over in the East, including Milwaukee and Indiana.
The 114-111 overtime win over the 76ers was actually one of
the more balanced overall efforts from the Kings this season, who got
double-digit scoring out of seven different players.
It was Marcus Thornton's night however, as he dropped 32
points on 11-of-21 shooting, including 4-of-6 from deep. He added seven boards
and four assists. Samuel Dalembert and Jason Thompson meanwhile combined for 28
points and 30 rebounds to guide the Kings to victory.
Phoenix on the other hand is going through some hard times,
losing two in a row and going just 3-7 SU over its last 10 games overall.
The Suns had a lead on the Dallas Mavericks on Sunday but
choked late, losing 83-91 at home as 2.5-point underdogs on the NBA odds board.
Marcin Gortat started at center in the loss, finishing with
20 points (8-of-13 FG), 15 rebounds and three blocks. However it wasn't as
great of a night for Steve Nash, who scored only six points despite dishing out
10 assists for Phoenix.
Suns should escape Sacramento with the W
Heading into Tuesday, both the Suns and Kings have been
profitable for backers recently. At time of writing, Sacramento was the 1-point
underdog with the total sitting at 213.5 at most sportsbooks.
Phoenix is 5-2-1 ATS in its previous eight games overall
while also posting a 5-0-1 ATS mark in its past six contests on the road.
The Kings come in having covered in four of their last five
games and are also a perfect 4-0 ATS in their previous four matchups with
Pacific division teams.
But even though Sacramento has been playing at a high level
lately, I believe the Phoenix Suns will come through with the win and subsequent ATS
cover on Tuesday night.
Alvin Gentry's men are still in the hunt for a playoff spot
and desperately need every win they can get. This matchup against a team with
one of the worst records in the NBA presents a perfect opportunity for Phoenix
to pick up some ground on Houston and Memphis in the race.
This season the Kings have gone a paltry 14-21-1 ATS at
home, and I'm expecting another loss to be added to that tally with Steve Nash
and company in town.
Sacramento will likely have Tyreke Evans back in the
starting lineup on Tuesday, but the Kings were actually playing better without
him. I look for opposing point guard Steve Nash to rebound from a poor
performance over the weekend and lead his team to the all-important win.
NBA Free Pick: Suns to cover the marginal spread at
ARCO Arena