New Jersey Nets (18-22) +6, 201 at Sacramento Kings (17-22), 10 pm Eastern Tuesday, NBA Network
by Zman of Predictem.com
Two teams headed in opposite directions recently hook up when the New Jersey Nets visit the Sacramento Kings Tuesday night in NoCal.
NBA betting boards have Sacramento listed as six-point home favorites for Tuesday’s game, with a total of 201. Also, the Kings are listed at around -270 on the moneylines, with the Nets getting +210 as road underdogs.
New Jersey was 17-16 a couple of weeks ago, but has gone 1-6 since then. The Nets have lost five games in a row, and the first two games of a current six-game road trip after falling at Phoenix Sunday 116-92. So heading into Tuesday’s action, the Nets sit in third place in the Atlantic Division, a distant 15 games back of the first-place Boston Celtics, and they’ve fallen into a tie with the Indiana Pacers for the eighth and final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference race.
Sacramento, on the other hand, has won five of its last seven games after beating the Pacers in Indiana Saturday 110-104, thanks in part to a 10-for-20 performance from 3-point land. But the Kings still sit in fourth place in the Pacific Division, 11 games behind the first-place Phoenix Suns, and in 11th place in the Western Conference race, six games out of the eighth and final playoff spot.
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But Sacramento may have some very good news; their big 3 of Ron Artest, Mike Bibby and Kevin Martin are expected to all be in the starting lineup for the first time this season Tuesday night. All have missed considerable time this season with injuries.
These two teams split their two meetings last season, each winning at home, and the Kings beat the Nets in Jersey in the first meeting between these two teams this season 106-101 Dec. 18. The o/u is 2-1 in those last three games in this series, which have averaged 196 total points. But two of those games would have gone over Tuesday’s total of 201.
However, while Sacramento has won two of the last three vs. the Nets, New Jersey has performed better statistically, out-shooting the Kings 49% to 41% in the three games together and out-rebounding them 136-116.
This season, the Nets are a sorry 15-24 against the spread, but 9-8 both straight up and ATS on the road.
On the other side of this match-up, Sacramento is 22-17 vs. the numbers, and 11-9 both SU and against the spread at home.
New Jersey is not one of the better teams in the league at putting the ball in the hole. They’re shooting just 43% from the field as a team this season, 32% from 3-point range and 72% from the free-throw line.
The Kings, meanwhile, are shooting 46% from the floor, 36% from long range and a very solid 80% from the charity stripe.
Also, while both teams are allowing opponents to shoot 46% from the field, the Nets rank 9th in the league in rebounding at +1.6 per game, Sacramento just 25th at -2.5 per game.
The Sagarin PREDICTOR ratings at USAToday.com ranks New Jersey 25th at 84.7, the Kings 19th at 87.6. Sagarin’s current NBA home-court advantage figure is 2.8.
The o/u is 18-21 in Nets games this season, which are averaging 192 total points, while the totals are 20-15 in Sacramento games, which are averaging 201 points.
Zman’s Pick: OVER 202 points.
