The Phoenix Suns will host the Sacramento Kings at the Footprint Center on Tuesday night. The Suns’ roster is a bit shorter now, following the trade which landed Kevin Durant in Arizona, but the fans and the head coach Monty Williams are ready to deal with that until seeing KD back on the floor. The game against the Kings is very important because these two units are very close in the West standings, and they might end up leveled at the end of the year. The Kings are currently third, while the Suns sit fifth, which is one more reason to cover this event.
Suns vs. Kings Preview
Sacramento Kings (32-24, +125) had back-to-back games against the Dallas Mavericks before the Super Bowl Sunday, losing the first and winning the second one. After a 122-114 defeat, the Kings responded and beat the Mavs 133-128 following an OT.
This was the third victory for Sacramento in the previous four contests. In the meantime, they’ve kept the roster intact during the trade deadline and got the second All-Star player after Sabonis, De’Aaron Fox. Fox scored 36 points against Kyrie, outmatching his 28, sealing the victory with six free throws in the final 20 seconds of the contest.
Sabonis had a double-double with 22 buckets and 14 boards, 10-for-12 from the field, while Terence Davis added 22 off the bench with six boards. Kevin Huerter ended the night with 15 points, eight rebounds and five assists.
Phoenix Suns (31-27, -170) gave several important players for Kevin Durant, and they might shorten the rotation a little bit until Durant gets back on the floor. Though, for the moment, the team is improving and has been 4-1 straight up in the past five.
To make it even better for the Suns, these five events have been on the road against solid teams like Boston, Brooklyn, and Indiana. The only loss was in Atlanta, 116-107, but Monty Williams’ crew quickly recovered and beat the Pacers at the Gainbridge Fieldhouse, 117-104.
All of the Suns’ players had their role in this clash, and six were with 10 or more points. Deandre Ayton led the way with 22 points and 11 boards, while Devin Booker scored 21 buckets. Josh Okogie did an excellent job in both directions, having 17 points with six boards and three steals. Chris Paul scored 19 and posted nine assists.
Suns vs. Kings Head to Head Games
The Suns beat the Kings in Sacramento in late November, 122-117. That contest was at the Golden One Center. D-Book stuffed 44 points and had eight boards, 17-for-28 from the field. Ayton had 17 and 12 boards, while Damion Lee scored 15 off the bench. Malik Monk had a team-high 30 points for the Kings, while Sabonis missed a triple-double for one board, 17 points, 10 dimes, and nine rebounds.
Suns vs. Kings Prediction
The Kings like to play high-paced basketball and will try to impose a strong tempo right from the start. This could create problems for hosts whose rotation is not as deep as before and who lack a few significant players. Our pick are the Kings, who need this win and who have to use the Suns’ current situation, and even though Phoenix stands as a heavy favorite, we will risk here.
Pick: Sacramento Kings
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Nikola Velickovic is a sports journalist who loves to write and read on all sports. Nikola contributes both news updates and functions as a sports breaking news writer at WagerBop.
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Email: nikola@wagerbop.com
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