MetroBet takes look at the betting info and make picks for a pair of games on the Sunday NBA slate.
Phoenix Suns at Sacramento Kings (-9.5)
Moneyline: Suns +360, Kings -450
Betting Total: 228.5
Time (Eastern): 6 p.m.
The Sacramento Kings (29-26) are on a nice run heading into Sunday night, as they’ve won and covered in four of their last five contests, and they should keep the momentum going as the struggling Phoenix Suns (11-46) pay a visit to the Golden 1 Center.
The Kings upgraded their team on Wednesday by trading for small forward Harrison Barnes (17.6 points per game), who scored 12 points in his team debut on Friday night. This Sacramento squad does not sleep on inferior competition, as they’re 9-1 against the spread in their last 10 games against teams at .400 or worse, per Covers.com. Their home record against the spread over their last 10 games is identical.
Phoenix has played poorly against Pacific Division rivals of late, failing to cover in 21 of their last 30 opportunities. Shooting guard Devin Booker (24.9 points per game) is expected to return to the lineup after missing the last two games with a hamstring issue, but it probably won’t matter for spread bettors.
The play: Kings spread
Miami Heat at Golden State Warriors (-14.5)
Moneyline: Heat +850, Warriors -1300
Betting Total: 222 points
Time (Eastern), TV: 8:30 p.m., NBATV
It would be foolish to call for an upset as the Miami Heat (25-28) take on the Golden State Warriors (39-15) at Oracle Arena on Sunday night, but there’s a case to be made that Miami will keep things relatively close.
The Heat get by on their defense, which is third in the NBA at 105.6 points allowed per game. This unit travels exceptionally, as they’re tops in the league in road defense at just over 105 points allowed per tilt. That performance has carried Miami to a 16-10 spread record away from home this season.
Golden State’s offense has, at least by their lofty standards, lacked punch over their last few games. They were held to just 104 points by the 76ers on Jan. 31 before only putting up 115 on an uptempo Lakers team. The Warriors looked like their usual selves when they dropped 141 on the Spurs after that, but then they came back down to earth by scoring 117 against a Booker-less Suns squad.
Point guard Stephen Curry has merely been good these last few games, not quite on an MVP level. Since putting up 41 on the Sixers, he’s scored no more than 20 points in his last three games and has shot just 41 percent from the floor, dropping his season shooting average to 49.2 percent.
The play: Heat spread
