PREMIUM
Rogers' 10* NBA TOTAL DOMINATION >> Going For SIX Straight!
(NBA) Phoenix vs. Sacramento,
Total: 216.50 | -102.00 Under
Result: Loss
Total: 216.50 | -102.00 Under
Result: Loss
The set-up: The 15-34 Phoenix Suns have a terrific guard tandem in Eric Bledsoe and Devin Booker but the team's defense is a mess (allows 112.3 PPG to rank 29th). The Suns visit Sacramento Friday night to take on the 19-30 Kings, who are back home after an eight-game road trip (3-5 SU and 4-3-1 ATS).
Phoenix: Bledsoe (21.6-5.0-6.2) scored a career high with 41 points in a 123-112 loss to Denver on Saturday and then matched that number on Wednesday in a 124-114 home loss to the Los Angeles Clippers. His backcourt partner Booker (20.8) reached the 20-point plateau for the 14th straight game in the loss to the Clippers, with exactly 20 points (he's averaging 25.8 PPG in his streak). However, that loss to Clippers means the Suns have allowed 120.2 PPG over the last five games, all of which have been losses. "We have to continue to change our identity defensively," Suns coach Earl Watson told reporters. "And if we need to be creative on defense, we have to be creative." The Suns have lost five straight, their longest skid since a seven-game losing streak last March, and haven't led in either of their previous two losses.
Sacramento: The Kings are back home and won't leave the state of California again until a trip to Denver on March 5, with the only two road games among the next 13 contests at Golden State and the Los Angeles Lakers. However, the Kings went just 1-6 SU the last time they were at home, from Jan. 4 through Jan. 18. Sacramento has lost second-leading scorer Rudy Gay (18.7) for the season and added another injury to the list when guard Garrett Temple (7.7) went down in the team's final game of its road trip at Houston. An MRI exam on Wednesday revealed a partial tear of the left hamstring, and Temple will miss at least the next two weeks, joining fellow wings Rudy Gay (Achilles) and Omri Casspi (calf). "I think we progressed as a team," Kings center DeMarcus Cousins (28.2 & 10.5) told reporters of the road trip. "A lot of things didn't go our way, but through it, I think we got better as a team." I'm not quite sure what Cousins is talking about.
The pick: The Suns don't have too many issues offensively, averaging 106.5 PPG (11th) and have topped 100 in 13 of their past 14 contests. They should present a problem with their backcourt tandem because Sacramento struggles to guard the perimeter. However, only the Nets give up more points than Suns and they've allowed 120 in three of their past four losses, while surrendering at least 100 in 12 straight contests. The Kings rank 21st in scoring defense (106.1 PPG) and have allowed over 100 points in each of their last 11 games. The Over is a 10* play.
Phoenix: Bledsoe (21.6-5.0-6.2) scored a career high with 41 points in a 123-112 loss to Denver on Saturday and then matched that number on Wednesday in a 124-114 home loss to the Los Angeles Clippers. His backcourt partner Booker (20.8) reached the 20-point plateau for the 14th straight game in the loss to the Clippers, with exactly 20 points (he's averaging 25.8 PPG in his streak). However, that loss to Clippers means the Suns have allowed 120.2 PPG over the last five games, all of which have been losses. "We have to continue to change our identity defensively," Suns coach Earl Watson told reporters. "And if we need to be creative on defense, we have to be creative." The Suns have lost five straight, their longest skid since a seven-game losing streak last March, and haven't led in either of their previous two losses.
Sacramento: The Kings are back home and won't leave the state of California again until a trip to Denver on March 5, with the only two road games among the next 13 contests at Golden State and the Los Angeles Lakers. However, the Kings went just 1-6 SU the last time they were at home, from Jan. 4 through Jan. 18. Sacramento has lost second-leading scorer Rudy Gay (18.7) for the season and added another injury to the list when guard Garrett Temple (7.7) went down in the team's final game of its road trip at Houston. An MRI exam on Wednesday revealed a partial tear of the left hamstring, and Temple will miss at least the next two weeks, joining fellow wings Rudy Gay (Achilles) and Omri Casspi (calf). "I think we progressed as a team," Kings center DeMarcus Cousins (28.2 & 10.5) told reporters of the road trip. "A lot of things didn't go our way, but through it, I think we got better as a team." I'm not quite sure what Cousins is talking about.
The pick: The Suns don't have too many issues offensively, averaging 106.5 PPG (11th) and have topped 100 in 13 of their past 14 contests. They should present a problem with their backcourt tandem because Sacramento struggles to guard the perimeter. However, only the Nets give up more points than Suns and they've allowed 120 in three of their past four losses, while surrendering at least 100 in 12 straight contests. The Kings rank 21st in scoring defense (106.1 PPG) and have allowed over 100 points in each of their last 11 games. The Over is a 10* play.
