The Sacramento Kings and Brooklyn Nets will close down their regular-season series Tuesday night at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, just eight days after their first meeting of the season. The Nets beat the Kings 136-125 as 4.5-point road favorites, recording their fifth straight victory over Sacramento, and Steve Nash’s team opened as a firm 7.5-point fave for Tuesday’s clash, according to BetMGM Sportsbook.
The Kings might miss a couple of guys in Brooklyn, as Harrison Barnes (foot) and Glenn Robinson III (personal) are listed as questionable. On the other side, the Nets are without Kevin Durant (hamstring), while Jeff Green (shoulder) is questionable to play.
Sacramento’s free fall continues
The Sacramento Kings (12-18; 13-17 ATS) are on a seven-game losing streak following a 128-115 defeat at the Milwaukee Bucks this past Sunday. They failed to cover a 10-point spread in Wisconsin, extending their ATS skid to seven games as well.
The Kings couldn’t cope with the reigning MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo who finished with 38 points. They sent the Greek Freak to the line a whopping 24 times while allowing the Bucks to make 48.9% of their field goals and grab 14 offensive rebounds.
Sacramento continues to play lousy defense and is dead last in the league in points allowed per 100 possessions (118.7). Furthermore, the Kings are the worst team in the NBA in opponent field goal percentage (48.9%) and the second-worst in opponent 3-point percentage (39.9%).
They score 112.9 points per 100 possessions (12th in the NBA) on 47.5% shooting from the field (10th) and 36.5% from beyond the arc (15th).
Brooklyn aims for its seventh straight victory
The Brooklyn Nets (20-12; 16-16 ATS) wrapped up a five-game road trip on the west coast this past Sunday, outlasting the Los Angeles Clippers 112-108. They extended the winning streak to six games, and during that stretch, the Nets beat some tough rivals including the Phoenix Suns and the reigning NBA champs LA Lakers.
James Harden went off for 37 points, 11 rebounds, and seven assists in Sunday’s victory over the Clippers, while Kyrie Irving added 28 points and eight assists. The Nets went just 11-for-38 from deep (28.9%) and allowed 16 offensive rebounds, but they committed only six turnovers while forcing 17 on the other side.
Brooklyn owns the best offensive rating in the NBA, racking up 118.6 points per 100 possessions. The Nets lead the league in field goal percentage (50.1%) and are second in 3-point percentage (40.5%). On the other side of the floor, they yield 114.7 points per 100 possessions (26th in the NBA) on 46.8% shooting from the field (18th) and 36.3% from downtown (10th).
Trends:
Sacramento:
- 0-7 ATS in the last seven games overall
- 0-5 ATS in the last five games against Brooklyn
Brooklyn:
- 6-0 ATS in the last six games overall
- 10-2 ATS in the last 12 home tilts against Sacramento
Considering all the defensive flaws on both sides, a better offensive team should win this game, and the Nets will look to extend their ATS streak. Brooklyn certainly has some defensive issues to solve, but the Kings are even worse and need a ton of work on their leaky defense.
Sacramento’s awful streak will eventually come to an end. The Kings will explode offensively at some point, but I don’t see that happening against Brooklyn on the road. The Nets should properly dominate this matchup thanks to their prolific offense.
Pick: Take Brooklyn -7.5 at -110
The Total:
I’ve mentioned how poor these two teams are on the defensive end and how dangerous they are offensively, so take the over despite that crazy line at 242.0 points.
Two of Sacramento’s last four games produced more than 242 points in total, as well as three of Brooklyn’s previous five contests. The over has hit in the Kings’ last six outings, and it is 15-5 in the Nets’ last 20 showings at any location.
Pick: Go over 242.0 points at -110
