Kings vs Suns Odds: A Pacific Battle For That Sixth Spot

Phoenix Favored To Hold on to The Sixth Seed

February 13, 2024 75 3 minutes readNBA Picks & Parlays

Kings vs Suns Odds: A Pacific Battle For That Sixth Spot — Photo taken from nypost.com

Suns are the Favored Hosts Despite the Kings’ Success
Kings Hold the Edge Per Recent Meetings
Bradley Beal Rises For Phoenix?

Suns are the Favored Hosts Despite the Kings’ Success

A pivotal Pacific Division tilt pits Sacramento and Phoenix this Tuesday night. The latter is favored by four points or -175 on the moneyline per the Kings vs Suns odds. The Suns have been rolling, having won 12 of its last 16 games, and is the host here. But the Kings have had success against the Suns and are 7-1 against the spread (ATS) in their last eight trips to Phoenix.

Kings vs Suns

Date, time: Thursday, February 13th, 10:00pm ET

Kings Hold the Edge Per Recent Meetings

Sacramento is an enticing underdog per the NBA odds. For one, it has won two of the last three meetings versus Phoenix this season. And the one game it lost, it still covered the 4.5-point spread. Secondly, center Domantas Sabonis has been nigh-unstoppable with averages of 21.3 points, 13.3 rebounds, and 9.3 assists on 73% shooting.

We’d like to think this is the zenith of what the three-time All-Star can do. And unless Phoenix can slow him down, Sacramento may be a good bet on the Kings vs Suns odds. Sacramento is also 23-13-0 ATS as a road underdog since last season. Sabonis is also putting up over 20 points and 13 boards on the road. The Kings are 9-3 when he scores 25+ points and gets 10+ boards.

On top of that, Sacramento just blew out Denver a few games ago. Sabonis broke the tie with Nikola Jokic, the frontrunner for MVP this season, with his 16th triple-double.

“Going against the best is always more exciting, more fun,” Sabonis said. “You always want to challenge yourself as a competitor. As a competitor, you always want to go against the best.”

Sabonis will get a chance to do that again when he meets Kevin Durant and the rest of Phoenix’s “Big Three”. With his running mate, guard DeAaron Fox, they nearly outscored Durant, Devin Booker, and Bradley Beal, 54 to 56. But Phoenix edged Sacramento as the total went ‘under’ for the third straight time.

The Kings shot over 50% in the last two games, but these teams play a slower pace focused on maximizing possession and efficiency. Other than betting Sacramento, going under 243 points is another play to make on the Kings vs Suns odds.

Bradley Beal Rises For Phoenix?

We already know what we’re going to get from Durant and Booker: a combined 55 to 65 points on a good night. But Beal, the third superstar, has been on and off for Phoenix as he continues to play his way into shape. But if Phoenix is to climb into a top-four spot in the NBA final standings, Beal needs to produce.

Phoenix is 10-2 when Beal scores 20+ points, and it is unbeaten (7-0) in his seven highest-scoring games. This is not a coincidence, especially if you consider some of the wins here: Miami, Indiana, and Milwaukee, just to name a few.

Beal is one of the best scorers in the league. He averaged 30+ in two consecutive seasons. But he’s also missed over 40% of games since 2020-21. And if Beal can’t step up, others like Grayson Allen will need to step up. He scored 29 versus Sacramento the last time.

Combined with an improving defense – ranked ninth (114.3) since Beal rejoined the team 23 games ago – the Suns have the sixth-best net rating (+6.6) since. This is partly why its totals have gone under in 10 of the last 14 times.

Phoenix is a hyper-efficient scoring machine, but it plays at a relaxed pace (ranked 14th) and will defend. As intimidating as the Suns starting NBA lineup is, the team’s depth is also one to care about.

Players like Eric Gordon and Josh Okogie are veterans who can “get it”. So watch out for Phoenix as it continues to play top-tier basketball.