PHILADELPHIA vs SACRAMENTO
When: 2/9/2021 10:00 PM
Where: Golden 1 Center, Sacramento

TV: 10:00 PM
LINE: 5.5
PREDICTION: 76ers 5.5

Oddsmakers currently have the Philadelphia listed as 5.5 point favorites versus the Sacramento, while the game’s total is sitting at 229.5.

The Kings are 7-6 on their home court. Sacramento is sixth in the Western Conference scoring 113.7 points while shooting 47.5% from the field.

The 76ers are 6-5 on the road. Philadelphia has a 9-4 record against teams below .500.

The teams square off Tuesday for the first time this season.

TOP PERFORMERS:

De’Aaron Fox leads the Kings scoring 23 points per game, and is averaging 3.3 rebounds and 6.5 assists. Richaun Holmes is shooting 57.8% and averaging 12 points over the last 10 games for Sacramento.

Joel Embiid leads the 76ers averaging 29.3 points and grabbing 10.7 rebounds. Ben Simmons is shooting 53.4% and averaging 13.7 points over the last 10 games for Philadelphia.

LAST 10 GAMES:

Kings: 7-3, averaging 113.9 points, 44.9 rebounds, 26.1 assists, 7.1 steals, and 5.7 blocks per game while shooting 48.2% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 111.7 points on 44.9% shooting.

76ers: 8-2, averaging 114.8 points, 43.2 rebounds, 20.5 assists, 10 steals, and 5.4 blocks per game while shooting 48.3% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 109.8 points on 46.0% shooting.

INJURIES:

Kings: DaQuan Jeffries: out (left ankle).

76ers: Terrance Ferguson: day to day (health and safety protocols), Mike Scott: out (knee).

BOTTOM LINE: Sacramento comes into a matchup with Philadelphia as winners of four straight games.

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DENVER vs SACRAMENTO
When: 2/6/2021 5:05 PM
Where:

TV: 5:05 PM
LINE: 3.5
PREDICTION: SACRAMENTO , DENVER

Oddsmakers currently have the SACRAMENTO listed as 3.5 point favorites versus the DENVER, while the game’s total is sitting at 230.

The Denver Nuggets’ second-half struggles continue to hinder their efforts to move into the upper tier of the Western Conference standings.

After leading by 12 at the half, the Nuggets were outscored by 33 points in the second half of a 114-93 loss to the Los Angeles Lakers on Thursday night. The Lakers shot 66.7 percent during a 37-17 third quarter in their favor, and the Nuggets — who have shot 46.4 percent over their past 10 games — lost their shooting touch (33.3 percent) in that period.

The Nuggets will look for a more complete effort on Saturday when they travel to Sacramento to play the Kings, who have won the first two meetings between the teams this season.

Denver has a 3.7 net rating overall per NBA Advanced Stats but is allowing teams to shoot 50.6 percent in the third quarter and have a minus-8.5 net rating in that period. The Lakers closed the third with a 15-0 run.

“It so much worse than what it is when we beat ourselves,” said Jamal Murray, who finished with 20 points against the Lakers. “We go up in the half and then we just get lazy, lackadaisical. We turnover the ball and we don’t get back. It’s all of the stuff we’ve talked about since training camp. … It’s stuff we need to focus more on.”

The Nuggets were without Gary Harris (left abductor) and PJ Dozier (hamstring) against the Lakers. Monte Morris finished with 16 points, but Nikola Jokic was held to 13 points and 10 rebounds after a 47-point, 12-rebound outburst in the previous game against the Jazz.

Jokic is averaging 26.1 points and 11.7 rebounds and Murray is averaging 19.0 points and 4.5 assists per game.

“Offensively, we just didn’t move the ball enough,” Murray said. “They just ran us in that second half with layups, dunks.”

Sacramento is in the midst of its best stretch of the season, winning five of its past six games including a 116-111 home win over the Celtics on Wednesday.

De’Aaron Fox had 13 of his 26 points in the fourth quarter to go along with 11 assists, Buddy Hield had 15 points and 11 rebounds, and Harrison Barnes scored 24 points.

“We found a way to grind that one out,” Kings coach Luke Walton said. “The first half was kind of survival mode. We couldn’t make any open shots, we were missing layups, we weren’t attacking. Our guys found a way. Not the prettiest of wins, but what a gutsy performance by our guys.”

One of the keys for the Kings has been the quick rise of rookie Tyrese Haliburton, the 12th overall pick in the draft.

Haliburton, named the Western Conference rookie of the month, finished with 21 points on 8-for-15 shooting and is averaging 11.2 points and 5.4 assists off the Kings bench.

Fox (22.3 points per game) had 24 points in the Kings’ 125-115 win over the Nuggets in Sacramento on Dec. 29 and is the catalyst for a squad sporting a 112.0 offensive rating.

But holding down opponents has been the issue for Sacramento, which has a 117.2 defensive rating.

“Defensively, that has to be our hallmark,” Barnes said. “When we don’t, it gets ugly.”

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SACRAMENTO vs NEW ORLEANS
When: 2/1/2021 8:00 PM
Where:

TV: 8:00 PM
LINE: -3.5
PREDICTION: NEW ORLEANS , SACRAMENTO

Oddsmakers currently have the NEW ORLEANS listed as -3.5 point favorites versus the SACRAMENTO, while the game’s total is sitting at 232.5.

The Sacramento Kings and the New Orleans Pelicans were both showing improvement.

Then they both lost Saturday night.

Now they’ll both try to bounce back when the Kings visit the Pelicans on Monday night.

The Kings saw a season-best, three-game winning streak end when Jimmy Butler returned from a 10-game COVID-related absence to lead the host Miami Heat to a last-minute 105-104 victory that ended their five-game losing streak.

“Absolutely love the energy and the fight after a hard back-to-back,” said Sacramento coach Luke Walton, whose team had beaten Toronto 126-124 in Tampa the night before. “The issues of turnovers and points off turnovers (27 points allowed) killed us. That’s a tough game to win.”

The Kings, who started their streak with wins at home against the Knicks (103-94) and at the Magic (121-107), were in position to win after De’Aaron Fox scored 17 of his 30 points in the fourth quarter.

He helped them battle back from a 11-point fourth-quarter deficit, Sacramento’s first double-digit deficit in four games.

But Butler scored a basket inside with 42 seconds remaining to reach 30 points for the game and put Miami on top.

Fox was doubled-teamed on the final possession and passed to Richaun Holmes, whose shot was tipped by Bam Adebayo and fell short.

Marvin Bagley III continued his improved play for the Kings by scoring 17 points, Buddy Hield scored 18 and Harrison Barnes 11.

Walton lamented the fact that the Kings, who rank fifth in the league in free-throw attempts, took just 11 and made five free throws.

“We live in the paint,” Walton said.

The Kings hosted New Orleans on Jan. 17 when Fox scored a career-high 43 points and added 13 assists, but it wasn’t enough as the Pelicans prevailed 128-123.

Zion Williamson scored 31 points and made 13 of 15 field-goal attempts, despite spending much of the fourth quarter on the bench in foul trouble, to lead the Pelicans.

He had 26 points to lead New Orleans on Saturday, but that wasn’t enough in 126-112 loss to Houston. The Rockets took control of the game by scoring 48 points in the second quarter, one night after the Pelicans won despite Milwaukee scoring 44 points in the third quarter.

“We’ve been on a pretty steady defensive decline since the sixth or seventh game of the season,” Pelicans first-year coach Stan Van Gundy said. “It’s frustrating to me because the way I looked at this job coming in is a big part of my job was to try to get us to improve at the defensive end of the floor. I thought we came out of camp guarding at a pretty high level, especially for early in the season, and the level we are guarding at now, it’s not acceptable.”

Steven Adams, who missed most of the second half against the Rockets because of soreness in his calf, isn’t available.

“Honestly it’s one thing if a team is hitting shots,” Williamson said, “(but) when they’re playing harder than us and hitting shots, we’re not even giving ourselves a chance. Simple as that.”

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SACRAMENTO vs MIAMI
When: 1/30/2021 8:00 PM
Where:

TV: 8:00 PM
LINE: -5.5
PREDICTION: MIAMI , SACRAMENTO

Oddsmakers currently have the MIAMI listed as -5.5 point favorites versus the SACRAMENTO, while the game’s total is sitting at 225.

The Miami Heat, who are set to host the Sacramento Kings on Saturday night, used 15 different starting lineups last season.

This season, with the Heat off to a struggling 6-12 start, Miami has already used 13 different lineups, tied with the Houston Rockets for the most in the league. Miami also has the longest active losing streak in the NBA at five games.

Heat standouts Jimmy Butler (COVID-19 protocols) and Goran Dragic (groin) are among the many Miami players dealing with health issues. Dragic has been ruled out for Saturday, so he will miss his third straight game. Butler, though, has been upgraded to questionable, and it’s possible he could return after missing 10 consecutive games.

Miami’s Avery Bradley and Andre Iguodala are listed as questionable, but Meyers Leonard, Moe Harkless and Chris Silva will not play on Saturday.

“In a perfect world, we’d like to be in a better place than we’re in right now, but we’re not,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. “We just have to continue to grind.”

Miami, 4-5 at home this season, will try to level that ledger against a Kings team that defeated the Toronto Raptors 126-124 on Friday night in Tampa.

It was Sacramento’s third straight win, and the Kings improved their road record to 3-4.

The Kings are led by a talented trio. Point guard De’Aaron Fox, shooting guard Buddy Hield and forward Harrison Barnes are Sacramento’s top three scorers on the season, and they were against the Raptors, too.

Barnes scored 26 points, Fox had 24 and Hield added 22. The Kings are now one victory away from their longest single-season winning streak since they won five in a row from Oct. 24-Nov. 1, 2018.

“Things are going in the right direction,” Barnes said. “There’s joy in being in these close games and winning, but this is no time to relax.”

Sacramento’s bench was also big on Friday. Former Heat center Hassan Whiteside had 16 points and a team-high nine rebounds, Cory Joseph scored 16 points and rookie point guard Tyrese Haliburton dazzled with 10 points, a game-high 11 assists and six rebounds.

Whiteside is getting healthy just in time to face his former franchise. This was his second game back after missing four in a row due to a hip injury.

Barnes said it was “huge” for Whiteside to contribute 20 minutes off the bench. Whiteside hit 6 of 7 shots from the floor and 4 of 6 free throws while adding one block, one assist and one steal.

“He gives us a different look,” Barnes said. “He puts pressure on defenses.”

The Heat and Kings split two games last season, both of them pre-pandemic, with each team winning on its home court.

One thing to watch Saturday is the health of Heat guard Tyler Herro, who returned Thursday and had 19 points, 10 rebounds and five assists in Miami’s 109-105 defeat to the Los Angeles Clippers.

Herro, who had missed seven straight games due to a neck injury, is still not 100 percent.

Regardless of the injuries and the losses, though, Herro said he and his teammates remain resolute.

“We’re good in this locker room,” he said of the team’s spirits. “We will figure it out soon.”

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NEW ORLEANS vs SACRAMENTO
When: 1/17/2021 9:00 PM
Where:

TV: 9:00 PM
LINE: 2
PREDICTION: SACRAMENTO , NEW ORLEANS

Oddsmakers currently have the SACRAMENTO listed as 2 point favorites versus the NEW ORLEANS, while the game’s total is sitting at 227.5.

Somebody is about to find out how bad things really are, as a clash of struggling teams is set to take place Sunday between the New Orleans Pelicans and host Sacramento Kings.

The Pelicans are on a five-game losing streak and are 0-2 to start a demanding six-game road trip that was supposed to be seven games before their contest at Dallas on Monday was postponed.

Meanwhile, the Kings have given up at least 122 points in each of their last seven games, although they managed to win two of those with an onslaught of offense themselves. The games they did not win were the four in that stretch where they gave up 125 or more, including 144 last week to the previously struggling Toronto Raptors.

The Pelicans are playing their third consecutive game in California after consecutive defeats at Los Angeles against the Clippers on Wednesday and the Lakers on Friday. Once 4-2 to open the season the Pelicans are 4-7 after their 112-95 loss to the Lakers.

New Orleans forward Brandon Ingram scored 20 points against his former team, including 17 in the first half. Second-year forward Zion Williamson added 21 points and 12 rebounds after he sat out the game against the Clippers because of health and safety protocols.

The Pelicans led 58-57 at the half Friday by shooting 60.9 percent from the field but managed to shoot just 35.6 percent in the second half as the game slipped away.

“I was encouraged by the first half today because we were really, really good on the offensive and defensive end against a really, really good team,” Ingram said. “If we continue to bring that intensity and pressure every single night then we have no choice but to get sharper.”

The Pelicans’ Lonzo Ball, a Southern California native, did not play either game in his homecoming because of knee tendonitis, although Eric Bledsoe returned Friday after missing one game because of right eye irritation.

The Kings’ frustration was obvious after their blowout 138-100 home loss to the Clippers on Friday.

“Nobody’s going to come out here and do it for us,” said Marvin Bagley III, who had a team-high 20 points. “We’ve got to figure it out and just lock up. I think it’s as simple as that.”

Said Richaun Holmes, who had 17 points: “You lose by 38 points, there better be some frustration in the locker room. It’s well placed (frustration). We know we didn’t give our best effort.”

Over their last seven games, the Kings are giving up an average of 131.7 points per contest. They entered play Saturday last in the NBA with 123.2 points allowed per game. Opponents average 27.8 assists per game against Sacramento, second to last in the league.

The Kings have installed a new defensive approach under head coach Luke Walton, but the players seem to be getting worse at it, not better. Even in the confines of a single game against the Clippers, the Kings regressed on both sides of the floor, getting outscored 37-16 in the third quarter and 69-39 in the second half.

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SACRAMENTO vs HOUSTON
When: 1/2/2021 5:05 PM
Where:

TV: 5:05 PM
LINE: -4.5
PREDICTION: HOUSTON , SACRAMENTO

Oddsmakers currently have the HOUSTON listed as -4.5 point favorites versus the SACRAMENTO, while the game’s total is sitting at 235.

Rockets first-year coach Stephen Silas earned his first career victory on Thursday, a result that warranted analysis of how Houston is jelling and what steps remain for the Rockets to improve.

Silas acknowledged that the Rockets are a “work in progress” on defense. The pairing of All-Star guards James Harden and John Wall, on display for the first time after COVID-19 protocols sidelined Wall for the first two games, showed potential but requires additional tweaks.

But one aspect of the Rockets’ 122-119 home win over the Sacramento Kings, whom the Rockets will host again on Saturday, needed only the most basic assessment. With the Rockets trailing inside the final five minutes, Harden took control and had a hand in the final 18 points for Houston while posting 33 points and eight assists and steering the way to triumph.

“It felt a lot better being on his side than the other side for years, that’s for sure,” Silas said. “He’s an amazing talent. He can make other players better with his smarts and knowing the angles and get to the free-throw line. I thought there were some opportunities that he had that he didn’t get the call, but he stayed aggressive and shot 11 free throws, and then the 3s.

“He’s the best in the world at those step-back 3s. He’s one of the best players in the world — period. To see it up close and personal and have him do it on the team that I’m coaching is amazing.”

Harden and Wall combined for 55 points and 17 assists with 11 turnovers. The Rockets are actively working to make the partnership work in terms of keeping Harden aggressive when Wall has the ball. There is no questioning their effectiveness offensively when Harden has it.

What the Kings have established at this early stage of the season is an egalitarian approach offensively. Sacramento entered the back-to-back against the Rockets with six players averaging double figures in scoring, and on Thursday produced three 20-point scorers while Buddy Hield added 19 points plus a team-leading five 3-pointers.

That unselfish play has made the Kings a difficult team to defend, for at any crucial point of a game more than one option is capable of providing a key basket. The starting backcourt of De’Aaron Fox (22 points, six assists) and Hield shared the scoring load in the first quarter with support from center Richaun Holmes (22 points and 13 rebounds).

When the Rockets pushed to a game-high 10-point lead in the third quarter, Fox and Harrison Barnes (24 points, eight rebounds) led the surge back into contention and were instrumental in helping the Kings establish a seven-point lead midway through the final period.

Houston, armed with the best player on the floor in Harden, found a way down the stretch. But the Kings have showcased a willingness to share the responsibility and developed a blueprint that just might make them a viable threat for a postseason berth in the Western Conference.

“For us, for who we are as a team, this is how we have to play to give ourselves a chance to win,” Kings coach Luke Walton said. “So I was very happy to see that.”

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SACRAMENTO vs HOUSTON
When: 12/31/2020 7:05 PM
Where:

TV: 7:05 PM
LINE: -4
PREDICTION: HOUSTON , SACRAMENTO

Oddsmakers currently have the HOUSTON listed as -4 point favorites versus the SACRAMENTO, while the game’s total is sitting at 228.5.

Houston guard John Wall was champing at the bit last week, eagerly anticipating his first regular season game in two years before COVID-19 protocols put his Rockets debut on pause.

Now that his quarantine is complete, Wall can resume the track he was on before contact tracing forced him to observe the Rockets’ first two games, both losses. Wall will be available when Houston hosts the Sacramento Kings on Thursday.

“We had a couple of practices before with the whole team but it was good,” Wall said of returning to practice. “We all know the plays and stuff like that, we just wanted to get acclimated to each other after they had two games on the road that we had to miss because of quarantine.

“(Practice) was good, and now we’re ready to play tomorrow.”

The Rockets traveled with just nine players for road games at Portland and Denver and will welcome back three of the six players who were in quarantine: DeMarcus Cousins, Eric Gordon and Wall.

There is concern over just how game-ready those veterans will be in what amounts to their season openers. The short-handed Rockets logged heavy minutes and played with verve in an overtime loss to the Trail Blazers, but there is some uncertainty ahead against the Kings.

“It is a process that’s going to continue for a while,” Rockets coach Stephen Silas said. “You would hope that it would be similar (to the Portland game) but as far as the protocols that they’ve been going through up until this point and they haven’t really been working out and been with the team, it’s really hard to say what we’ll see tomorrow with those guys.”

The Kings have enjoyed a surprising 3-1 start to the season, including their 125-115 win over Denver on Tuesday.

Balanced scoring has contributed to that success, with six Kings scoring in double figures paced by guard De’Aaron Fox (20.3 points per game). An unexpected addition to that list: reserve rookie guard Tyrese Haliburton, who is averaging 10.5 points and 5.3 assists in 27.0 minutes off the bench.

Taken 12th overall out of Iowa State, Haliburton arrived with a reputation for maturity. In these early stages of his career, he has showcased an ability to deliver in every facet required.

“He’s got a lot to learn still but there’s something about him when you’re coaching him you feel confident when he’s on the floor that something good is going to happen on both ends of the court,” Kings coach Luke Walton said.

After pairing 12 points with four assists in his debut against the Nuggets on Dec. 23, Halliburton helped the Kings rebound from a loss against the Suns by posting 13 points, six assists and three steals as Sacramento notched a second victory over the Nuggets in seven days. The plan was for Halliburton to contribute as a rookie. Thus far, he has exceeded those expectations.

“He doesn’t get rattled,” Fox said. “He makes big shots — we know he can shoot the ball. We all have the utmost confidence in him to make big plays whether it’s with the ball or off the ball, catch-and-shoot and things like that. We tell him to be aggressive.”

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DENVER vs SACRAMENTO
When: 12/29/2020 10:05 PM
Where:

TV: 10:05 PM
LINE: 2.5
PREDICTION: SACRAMENTO , DENVER

Oddsmakers currently have the SACRAMENTO listed as 2.5 point favorites versus the DENVER, while the game’s total is sitting at 224.

The Sacramento Kings own the NBA’s longest active playoff drought at 14 seasons, but the way they’ve played the first week of this campaign, there’s a chance the skid won’t reach 15.

The Kings recorded an impressive road win over the Denver Nuggets on opening night, then beat Phoenix on Saturday before losing to the Suns on Sunday night.

Sacramento gets a rematch with the Nuggets on Tuesday night in the California capital.

Denver is coming off a 124-111 home win over the Houston Rockets on Monday night, its first victory of the season following two home defeats.

De’Aaron Fox is leading the way for the Kings, averaging 19 points and six assists. Buddy Hield is contributing 17.7 points per game, the most impressive two coming on a tip at the buzzer to beat the Nuggets in overtime.

Sacramento also is getting some solid minutes from rookie Tyrese Haliburton, who is averaging 9.7 points and five assists early on. His best offensive game came Sunday when he scored 15 points and dished out six assists.

Fox has been impressed by his young teammate so far.

“He understands the game really well,” Fox said. “He plays beyond his years, and that’s a helpful thing for himself and the team.”

Haliburton, 20, has not been awed by the jump from Iowa State to the NBA.

“My whole life, I’ve just wanted to be the best version of myself, and obviously, as a kid, I’ve always wanted to be the best player in the world,” Haliburton said following the Sunday loss to Phoenix. “And those are obviously my aspirations. To do that, I can’t come out here and be timid or nervous.”

Denver is getting some solid individual efforts but is searching for some chemistry.

Nikola Jokic has been outstanding so far, logging two triple-doubles and one double-double in the three games. He set a career-high with 18 assists against the Rockets and tied Fat Lever for most triple-doubles in franchise history with 43.

“I don’t think he cares who he’s playing against,” Nuggets coach Michael Malone said. “Big, small, that’s how Nikola plays every night. That’s why he’s a great player, he makes everybody better.”

Jamal Murray has come alive in the past six quarters, and Gary Harris broke out of a shooting slump with 14 points Monday night.

The Nuggets had effort issues the first two games but came out energized Monday, putting up 70 points in the first half. They also did a better job on the glass, outrebounding the Rockets 52-38 after losing that category in the first two games.

“The biggest thing for me is our rebounding,” Malone said before the Houston game. “Rebounding correlates to winning. Last year, we were 12-17 when we were outrebounded; the year before we were 10-16 when we were outrebounded. So far this year, we are 0-2 when we are outrebounded. We have to show some growth in that area of the game in order for us to give ourselves a chance.”

Malone is also looking forward to playing forward JaMychal Green, an offseason free-agent acquisition. Green missed the first three games with a left calf strain but has started practicing. Without him available, the Nuggets have used smaller lineups at times.

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PHOENIX vs SACRAMENTO
When: 12/27/2020 9:00 PM
Where:

TV: 9:00 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 226.

The Sacramento Kings aim for a weekend sweep of the visiting Phoenix Suns on Sunday at the Golden1 Arena.

Sacramento opened the Pacific Division back-to-back series on Saturday with a 106-103 defeat of Phoenix, snapping the Suns’ nine-game winning streak dating back to last season. Phoenix last lost on March 10 just before the COVID-19 hiatus, went a perfect 8-0 in the Orlando-area bubble over the summer, and beat Dallas in its season opener on Wednesday, 106-102.

“It wasn’t pretty — a lot of games on Christmas or the day after Christmas aren’t pretty,” said Kings coach Luke Walton in his postgame press conference. “We couldn’t make free throws, we were turning the ball over, we didn’t shoot a good percentage (on 3-point attempts), but we found a way to grind out a win.

“There’s a lot of games in an NBA season that are going to take that kind of mentality,” Walton added.

Sacramento shot just 5-of-23 from beyond the arc, and 23-of-33 from the free-throw line. Foul shots proved key, however, with the Kings scoring their final five points on free throws.

Through two games, the Kings have thrived on balancing scoring. They followed a 124-122 season-opening win in Denver in which seven players scored in double figures, with six hitting for at least 11 points against Phoenix — including all five starters.

“We’re doing a hell of a job right now,” said De’Aaron Fox in his postgame press conference. Fox’s 24 points and seven assists set the pace for Sacramento. “We go out there, we play hard, we execute our stuff, we play defense together as a team.”

Saturday’s win improved the Kings to 2-0 for the first time since 2003-04, which also marked the last season in which Sacramento won a playoff series. The Kings have not been to the postseason since 2005-06.

Phoenix last qualified for the postseason in 2009-10. The Suns’ perfect record in last season’s bubble was not enough for them to force a play-in game, but the strong finish and offseason acquisition of the veteran guard Chris Paul lifted expectations for 2020-21.

In its first two outings, Phoenix scored more than seven and 10 points fewer than its 2019-20 per-game average of 113.6.

“This is the first time for me, in a long, long time with our group where we got outworked,” Suns coach Monty Williams said in the postgame press conference.

Paul scored 22 points on Saturday to go with a game-high 12 assists, while Devin Booker posted 26 points. Former No. 1 overall draft pick and third-year center Deandre Ayton scored just nine points in the loss, falling short of his 18.2-point average in 2019-20 for a second straight game. Ayton finished with 13 points against Dallas.

Early foul trouble limited Ayton’s minutes in both contests. Sacramento capitalized to take a critical 56-40 rebounding advantage.

Harrison Barnes and Marvin Bagley III each hauled in 11 boards, while Richaun Holmes added nine. Ayton with 12 was the only Suns player to grab more than eight. Phoenix finished last season with a slight 43.5-to-43.3 per-game rebounding edge; Sacramento was outrebounded 43.5 to 42.6 on the year.

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PHOENIX vs SACRAMENTO
When: 12/26/2020 10:00 PM
Where:

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.

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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