Phoenix takes on Sacramento and will both be gunning for a victory on 12/26/2020 at 10:00 PM when they meet in a game matchup.
PHOENIX vs SACRAMENTO
When: 12/26/2020 10:00 PM
Where:
| ROT | TEAM | PS | OU | ML |
| 518 | PHOENIX | 3.5 (-110) | 228.5 (-110) | -165 145 |
| 518 | SACRAMENTO |
TV: 10:00 PM
LINE: 3.5
PREDICTION: SACRAMENTO , PHOENIX
Oddsmakers currently have the SACRAMENTO listed as 3.5 point favorites versus the PHOENIX, while the game’s total is sitting at 228.5.
| Tony’s Pick | TEAM |
| PHOENIX | -165 |
The Sacramento Kings haven’t made the playoffs over the past 14 seasons, and the Phoenix Suns have gone 10 seasons without qualifying for the postseason.
But one long-suffering franchise will get off to a 2-0 start in the 2020-21 season, as the Suns and host Kings square off Saturday night in the first of back-to-back matchups in the California capital.
The Kings posted a dramatic 124-122 overtime win over the host Denver Nuggets on Wednesday, while Phoenix held off the Dallas Mavericks for a 106-102 home win on the same night.
Sacramento was trying to prevent losing in overtime when Harrison Barnes stole the ball from Nuggets star Nikola Jokic in the final seconds. Barnes drove and missed a contested shot, but Buddy Hield tipped the ball in at the buzzer for the victory.
Hield then raced down the court and into the tunnel leading to the locker room with his teammates in pursuit.
It capped a strong effort from Hield, who made five 3-pointers while scoring a team-best 22 points. Barnes and DeAaron Fox each added 21 points for the Kings.
Overall, Sacramento had seven players score in double digits. One of them was first-round draft pick Tyrese Haliburton, who had 12 points and four assists in 30 minutes off the bench to help fuel the win.
“I hope it says we’re hungry,” Haliburton said after the triumph. “Hungry to get Sacramento back where they belong and just win games. Guys that have been here are tired of not winning as much as they expect to and us young guys are just trying to bring young blood, new blood here and get Sacramento back to their winning ways.”
Fox was among the players highly impressed with the 20-year-old Haliburton, who was the 12th overall choice from Iowa State.
“He didn’t get rattled,” Fox said of Haliburton. “He makes big shots, we know he can shoot the ball. For me, if someone steps in defensively, my first instinct is to kick it out. We all have the utmost confidence in him to make big plays.”
Phoenix also played well down the stretch of its win over Dallas. The score was tied at 100 before the Suns scored five straight points, capped by Devin Booker’s jumper with 40.2 seconds left en route to the victory.
Booker scored 22 points in his initial backcourt pairing with 10-time All-Star Chris Paul, who was acquired from the Oklahoma City Thunder in the offseason.
Paul, who has been nursing an ankle injury, was quiet for most of the contest. He had just eight points on 3-of-9 shooting in 27 minutes. He also had five assists and committed three turnovers.
However, Paul knocked down a big shot with 1:20 to play to push Phoenix ahead by three prior to Booker’s basket.
“I like guys who are willing to take the shots,” Suns coach Monty Williams said afterward. “And we’ve got a few guys who will take those shots. Booker and CP have been in those situations before.”
Mikal Bridges added 18 points and was among the Phoenix players — as well as Williams — who cited the team’s 19 turnovers as something that needs to be reduced. Booker committed eight.
“It’s confidence,” Bridges said. “We know what we can do on the other end offensively. We have the guys for it. Once we know we get stops, and we’re just like, ‘Alright, we’re missing shots that we work on, some turnovers that we gotta clean up’ but as long as we’re out there guarding and helping each other out, that’s going to be the key for our success: just keep defending as a team.”
The teams split four meetings last season.
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