The Phoenix Suns look to snap a two-game losing streak as they face the Sacramento Kings on Friday night on the road. The Suns, 38-34, are tied for fourth place in the Western Conference with the Los Angeles Clippers, though they have played two fewer games. The Kings, 43-29, are firmly entrenched as the West's No. 3 seed with the NBA playoffs approaching. Phoenix has won two of the three meetings between the teams this season, only losing in the last matchup on March 11th, 128-119 at home.
Tip-off is set for 9 p.m. ET at the Golden 1 Center. Sacramento is favored by 3.5 points in the latest Kings vs. Suns odds from Caesars Sportsbook, while the over/under is set at 239. Before entering any Suns vs. Kings picks, you'll want to see the NBA predictions from the model at SportsLine.
The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every NBA game 10,000 times and has returned well over $10,000 in profit for $100 players on its top-rated NBA picks over the past four-plus seasons. The model enters Week 23 of the 2022-23 NBA season a stunning 69-36 on all top-rated NBA picks this season, returning nearly $2,900. Anyone following it has seen huge returns.
Now, the model has set its sights on Kings vs. Suns. You can head to SportsLine to see its picks. Here are several NBA betting lines for Suns vs. Kings:
- Kings vs. Suns spread: Kings -3.5
- Kings vs. Suns over/under: 239 points
- Kings vs. Suns money line: Sacramento -165, Phoenix +140
- Kings vs. Suns picks: See picks here
Why the Suns can cover
Without new acquisition Kevin Durant, the Suns have scuffled, having lost five of their last six games. While they have exceeded 111 points in five of those six contests, Phoenix has surrendered 120-plus points in four of those games as well. Adding to Phoenix's misery is the absence of center DeAndre Ayton, who is out for the third straight game with hip soreness. For the Suns to win tonight, star guard Devin Booker will need to carry them.
In 10 March games, Booker has averaged 34 points and has topped the 30-point mark eight times. In the teams' only other matchup in Sacramento earlier this season, Booker scored 44 points, grabbed eight rebounds, added four assists, and had six steals. He has scored 32 and 28 points in the other two matchups this season with the Kings. Without the scoring prowess of Durant and Ayton, another 40 point effort might be necessary for Phoenix to have a legitimate shot to cover and potentially win.
Why the Kings can cover
It's easy to see why both Domantas Sabonis and De'Aaron Fox were All-Stars last month, as both have continued their torrid paces in the regular season's final stanza. In 11 March contests, Sabonis is averaging 20.5 points, 13.2 rebounds, and 8.9 assists, all above his season averages. He has recorded five triple-doubles in March and narrowly missed by one rebound or assist twice. Against the Suns this season, Sabonis is averaging 19.3 points, 10.7 rebounds and 7.0 assists and will likely need to exceed those numbers for Kings' backers to feel comfortable about their chances tonight.
Since the beginning of February, Fox has scored 30-plus points in 12 of the 19 games he has played. He's struggled twice against the Suns in 2022-23 though, having scored 18 and 11 points, in addition to 35 in the 120-109 Phoenix victory in February. On the season, Fox is shooting 51.9% from the field but the Suns have held him below 43% in their three meetings. A stellar performance from Sacramento's point guard tonight would go a long way in leading the Kings to victory against their Pacific Division rivals.
How to make Suns vs. Kings picks
The model has simulated Kings vs. Suns 10,000 times and the results are in. We can tell you that the model is leaning Over, and it's also generated a point-spread pick that is hitting in almost 70% of simulations. You can only see the pick at SportsLine.
So who wins Suns vs. Kings? And which side of the spread is hitting almost 70% of the time? Visit SportsLine to see which side of the Kings vs. Suns spread to jump on, all from the advanced model that has crushed its NBA picks, and find out.
