The Sacramento Kings and Phoenix Suns are both in desperate need of a win. So when the two sides meet at the Golden 1 Center on Friday night, plenty will be on the line for both sides. Which team will taste victory? Let’s take a look with our latest NBA betting picks.
Both these teams have suffered recent setbacks. They currently sit third and fourth in the Western Conference, with the Suns currently five games behind the Kings. The Nuggets currently top the Western Conference. They are comfortably ahead of the second placed Grizzlies, with the Kings currently two games behind Taylor Jenkins’ team.
Despite their lead over the Suns in the conference, the Kings are a huge +5000 to win the NBA Championship. This puts them way behind Phoenix who are +600 to win this year’s big prize.
The Milwaukee Bucks are now the outright favorites with the best NBA Finals betting sites. The Bucks have taken over from long term favorites, the Boston Celtics. Milwaukee is now +315, with the Celtics at +350. Then comes the Suns, who leapfrogged over many teams after they traded in Kevin Durant, this, despite their conference form, and table position.
The rest of the teams at the top of the betting are made up of the Denver Nuggets (+800), Golden State Warriors (+950), and the Philadelphia 76ers (+950). There is then a bit of a gap before we get to the LA Lakers (+1800), who might just be timing a good run of form to perfection.
More betting from the best NBA betting sites can be found below. More information can be found about these sites on our best online sportsbook reviews page.
| Betting to Win 2023 NBA Championship |  |  |  |
|---|---|---|---|
| Milwaukee Bucks | +315 | +315 | +315 |
| Boston Celtics | +350 | +350 | +350 |
| Phoenix Suns | +600 | +600 | +600 |
| Denver Nuggets | +800 | +800 | +800 |
| Golden State Warriors | +900 | +900 | +900 |
| Philadelphia 76ers | +950 | +950 | +950 |
| LA Lakers | +1800 | +1800 | +1800 |
| Memphis Grizzlies | +1800 | +1800 | +1800 |
| LA Clippers | +2000 | +2000 | +2000 |
| Dallas Mavericks | +3300 | +3300 | +3300 |
The Kings have lost their last two, and they were two pretty resounding defeats as well.
Earlier in the week they faded badly in the 4th Quarter against the Jazz, eventually losing by eight points. Mike Brown’s team found themselves a huge 21 points behind at the end of the opening quarter.
They then spent the next two periods fighting their way back to parity. That seemed to burn Brown’s team out, as they then crashed to a 128-120 defeat. This, having been 95-95 at the end of the 3rd Period.
More recently, the Kings lost 132-109 at home to the Celtics on Tuesday night. This was a more comprehensive defeat with the Celtics convincingly winning three of the four periods.
Overall this season, the Kings have a 49-23 record. In their last ten, they are 6-4, and at home, their record reads 21-15. This is one of the worst home records of the teams in the top half of the Western Conference, and potentially music to the ears of the Suns.
The Suns have a recent record of 5-5, slightly worse than the Kings run of 6-4 across their last ten respective matches. Like the Kings, the Suns have also lost their last two.
The two defeats have come on the road. Last weekend, Monty Williams’ team went down 124-120 to the Thunder. And then on Wednesday night, they lost 122-111 to a resurgent Lakers.
So far, the Suns haven’t had much luck with Kevin Durant. He was injured when he arrived, and then after less than a handful of appearances, he turned his ankle in a pregame warm up earlier in the month. The latest prognosis is that he could be back sometime between the end of March, and the start of April.
Either way, the Suns are running out of time to properly assimilate their star signing into the team ahead of the playoffs. Yes, he will perform at a high level. But in those crucial moments in those big matches, a Suns side used to having Durant in it will be far better equipped than one that has barely got used to playing alongside him.
With and without Durant, the Suns have a conference record of 24-19 this season. Overall they are 38-34, and on the road they are 15-22. This is one of the better away records, but by no means the best. So, when it comes to the match odds, does the Suns’ okay away record, trump the Kings’ poor home record? Let’s take a look.
The answer is no. Despite the Kings patchy home form, they are -185 to win on the moneyline. The Suns are +165. On the handicap spread, the Suns are getting +4.5 points. Both sides are -110 in this market.
These two met in Phoenix just under two weeks ago, and on that occasion the Kings won 128-119. The Kings are exceptional on the road though, and have a better away record, than home one. So, the Suns should see this as a great opportunity to gain revenge.
We are of the view that this match could go either way. So with this in mind, the Suns to win on the handicap looks the pick to us. This way we cover a win for the Suns, and if the Kings do sneak the win by up to four points, we are still on the winning side of the bet.
About the Author
Dean is primarily a fan of English football who regularly attends games, and combining his hobby with his job, he is now a full-time sports betting writer. Rather than going down the educational route into sports journalism, Dean learned his trade by writing for his English football betting website since 2009, where he now boasts nearly 15 years of experience. After writing about football daily for years, Dean has taken the skills he learned and now uses them to great effect writing for numerous affiliate sites across the internet. A general all-around sports enthusiast with a passion for English football and cricket, Dean is also well able to turn his hand to writing about golf, tennis, F1, boxing, snooker, darts, and North American sports. Combining his extensive knowledge and experience with British humor and wit, Dean has developed into a trusted voice within the sports betting industry.
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