The Sacramento Kings head to the Pepsi Center to take on the Denver Nuggets. Action begins at 9:00 pm ET on Tuesday, Feb. 23 and will air on ALT and CSA.
The Nuggets come into this game on a high note after beating the Pistons 103-92 in their last matchup. Will Barton was the game’s leading scorer with 20 points on 7-for-12 shooting. The Kings, meanwhile, are coming off a 114-110 win against the 76ers in their last game. Rajon Rondo claimed his 27th double-double of the season with 14 points and 15 assists.
Darren Collison has been hot for the Kings, averaging 19.2 points, 2.0 rebounds, 2.8 assists, 0.8 steals, and 1.4 three-pointers over the past five games.
The Nuggets look to improve upon their records of 22-34 Straight Up (SU) and 30-23-3 Against The Spread (ATS). Over their last 10 games, they have only managed a record of 2-7-1 ATS. Denver has averaged 110.0 points per game over the last 10 games, higher than its season average of 100.7. Denver’s defense is doing poorly against opposing offenses during the last 10 games, allowing an average of 115.4 points per game, well above their season average of 104.0.
On the other side, Sacramento has a SU record of 23-31 and an ATS record of 24-29-1. Sacramento has done particularly well ATS over its past 10 matchups, going 7-3. Offensively, they average 107.2 points per game, which is good for third in the league. The Kings are an unselfish team with an average of 25.0 assists per game, ranking fourth in the NBA.
This game marks the season’s first head-to-head clash between the Nuggets and the Kings. Their previous game was a Nuggets victory, taking the head-to-head record to an even 5-5 SU over the past 10 meetings. The teams also have an even record ATS in the last 10.
Predictions: SU Winner – Sac
Notes
Sacramento ranks third in points per game with 107.2, while Denver ranks 22nd in points allowed with an average of 104.0 given up.
Sacramento is one of the top scoring teams on the road, averaging 107.6 points per game (ranked third). Denver, on the other hand, gives up 105.8 points per home game (ranked 28th).
In games where they allow fewer than 100 points, the Sacramento Kings are a superb 9-3. In games where they score fewer than 100 points, the Denver Nuggets have a subpar record of 2-17.
At 13-28, the Sacramento Kings have a poor record when their opponents score 100 points or more. The Denver Nuggets are 20-15 when they hit the century mark.
The Nuggets have a defensive rating of 106.0 (ranked 22nd), while the Kings rank 11th for their offensive rating of 103.9.
Sacramento has an average field goal percentage of 46.2% (ranked fourth). Denver is a poor 9-19 when opponents have a similar or higher field goal percentage.
On average, the Denver Nuggets attempt 23.0 three point field goals per game and the Sacramento Kings attempt 22.0 per game. In games where they attempt at least 25 threes, Denver is 9-13, while Sacramento has a losing record of 6-10.
Denver has an assist to turnover ratio of 1.58 this season (ranked 15th), while Sacramento ranks lower at 17th with an A/TO of 1.58.
The Nuggets rank 10th in rebounds per game with 44.6, while the Kings rank sixth with 45.2 per game.
Denver is ranked 18th in defensive rebounds, while Sacramento ranks 10th in offensive rebounds.
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.
