The Denver Nuggets visit Sleep Train Arena to take on the Sacramento Kings. Action gets underway at 10:00 pm ET on Friday, Feb. 19 and can be seen on ALT and CSA.
The Kings enter this game hoping for similar success after defeating the 76ers 114-110 the last time they played. With 14 points and 15 assists, Rajon Rondo recorded his 27th double-double of the season. The Nuggets, meanwhile, are coming off a 103-92 win over the Pistons in their last outing. Will Barton led the game in scoring with 20 points on 7-for-12 shooting.
Darren Collison has taken his game to another level over the last five games for the Kings. During that stretch, he has averaged 19.2 points, 2.0 rebounds, 2.8 assists, 0.8 steals, and 1.4 three-pointers.
The Kings come into this game 22-31 Straight Up (SU) and 23-29-1 Against The Spread (ATS). Over their last 10 games, they have had success covering the spread (8-2). The Kings have one of the most prolific offenses in the entire league, averaging 107.1 points per game. Spreading the ball around is a huge part of Sacramento’s offense. They are fourth in the league in assists with an average of 25.0 per game.
On the other side, Denver has a SU record of 22-32 and an ATS record of 30-21-3. Denver has been particularly bad ATS over its past 10 matchups, going 1-8-1. Offensively, the Nuggets have really picked up the pace in the last 10 games. They have exceeded their season average of 100.5 points per game by averaging 111.2 during that stretch. The last 10 games have really brought the worst out of the Nuggets on the defensive end. They allowed 117.3 points per game during that span, which is higher than their season average of 103.4.
The conference rivals meet for what will be their first head-to-head battle of the season. Denver won the last game in the matchup, bringing its SU record in the past 10 games to 6-4. The Nuggets also hold the advantage ATS with a record of 6-4.
Predictions: SU Winner – Sac
Notes
On average, Denver scores 100.5 points per game (ranked 20th). Sacramento ranks 30th in points allowed per game with 109.1.
Sacramento ranks 30th in points allowed per home game (106.6 PPG), while Denver ranks 19th in points per away game with 98.7.
When giving up fewer than 100 points, Denver has a 9-12 record. When Sacramento scores fewer than 100, they are a subpar 3-13.
At 13-20, the Denver Nuggets have a poor record when their opponents score 100 points or more. The Sacramento Kings are 19-18 when they hit the century mark.
The Kings have a defensive rating of 106.6 (ranked 23rd), while the Nuggets rank 21st for their offensive rating of 102.7.
Sacramento has an average field goal percentage of 46.2% (ranked fourth). Denver is a losing 9-19 when opponents have a similar or higher field goal percentage.
On average, the Sacramento Kings attempt 22.0 three point field goals per game and the Denver Nuggets attempt 23.0 per game. In games where they attempt at least 25 threes, Sacramento has a poor record of 6-10, while Denver is 9-13.
The Sacramento Kings rank 17th with an assist to turnover ratio of 1.58. The Denver Nuggets have a higher A/TO (1.58), ranking 15th.
The Sacramento Kings rebound 45.2 times per game and are ranked sixth. Ranked 10th, the Denver Nuggets rebound 44.6 times per game.
The Denver Nuggets are among the best offensive rebounding teams in the league (ranked fourth). The Sacramento Kings are in the top half of NBA teams in defensive rebounding (ranked sixth).
Sacramento is one of the top teams in forced turnovers, with opponents averaging a TOV% of 14.9% (ranked eighth). Denver has a subpar record of 9-15 SU this season when its TOV% reaches 14.9% or greater.
