NBA 03/11 Free Premium Play: Sacramento Kings @ Detroit Pistons

Sacramento  at Detroit

NBA - 553 Sacramento Kings @ 554 Detroit Pistons Play #1 It is almost impossible to predict anything from both teams let alone a game between them. Fact: Both teams simply can’t hit outside shots right now (and mostly for the season as well!)! In L10 games, DET is shooting just 31.7% - ranked #27 while SAC is shooting 30.6% - ranked #28! Basically, this game will be decided by the performance of both front court units! SAC in L2 games have faced TOR & BKN – two teams that were excellent in pressuring SAC PG’s Isaiah Thomas and did a great job in doing that has Thomas had 5-13 FG & 5/1 A&TO ratio @TOR and 3-14 FG & 4/7 A/TO ratio @BKN… w/ him being limited, SAC committed 17 & 25 TO’s! The good news is that we can expect Thomas to bounce back against the awful DET perimeter defense! SAC has been a bit better w/ defensive rebounding while offensively, Cousins is clearly more skilled than A. Drummond and I expect him to really dominate this contest while I have my fair line for this contest as being a pure 50/50 game Pick: 3 units (Single Dime Play) on 553 Sacramento Kings (+2.5) @ -110 / 1.91 on Betonline

NBA Free Premium Play 03/07: Sacramento Kings @ Toronto Raptors

Sacramento  at Toronto

NBA -805 Sacramento Kings @ 806 Toronto Raptors Play #1 This contest is a rare case in which we have a lowly team completely motivated and focused to win @ road… obviously, we are talking about the Kings and the “Rudy Gay” situation going for tonight’s game against his former team. Having said that, actually, the Kings are a bad matchup for the Raptors! It all starts w/ D. Cousins! TOR has been an awful defensive rebounding and their interior defense has struggled against skilled big men….they’ve lost against the Bulls at home; they’ve allowed Gortat went crazy against them w/ 12-23 FG & 7-11 FT for 31 points and even in the last game, David Lee had 8-18 FG for 20 points! In the first H2H game, Cousins had 8-19 FG, 9-14 FG for 25 pts, 10 reb and even 4 assists! Also, Isaiah Thomas will be a tough matchup for K. Lowry and suddenly the Kings could be a competitive team tonight… note that they are 2-0 in L2 games so, they are feeling confident right now. TOR had plenty of days to rest for this contest so it will be quite natural that they start the game w/ some rustiness to show. I understand that they are a better team that SAC especially on the defensive end, but this current 6.5 pts spread line is way too much IMO as my fair line for this contest is TOR by 3/4 points. Pick: 3 units (Single Dime Play) on 805 Sacramento Kings (+6.5) @ -110 / 1.91 on 5 Dimes

NBA Free Premium Play 02/11: Sacramento Kings @ Cleveland Cavaliers

Sacramento  at Cleveland

NBA - 501 Sacramento Kings @ 502 Cleveland Cavaliers Play #3 It’s hard to predict these two teams in this season as they are super inconsistent and prone to not “show up” on the court but I expect SAC to have better chances to win this contest, and therefore we have some edge w/ them IMO. Both teams likes to run a ton of P&R’s ball handler plays using their guards, however for some reason, SAC defense has been elite defending this kind of play – ranked #6 allowing 0.75 PPP. Nevertheless, I expect the backcourt battle to be a close matchup as both I. Thomas & K. Irving are tough players to be stopped on the offensive end. Note that L. Deng is banged up w/ his Achilles tendon and so, Rudy Gay will have some edge in here… However the X factor for this contest IMO will be related w/ frontcourt battle… Anderson Varejao is coming from a monster game vs. MEM in which he played 43 minutes and helped CLE to slow down MEM’s frontcourt. The bad news is that he is OUT for tonight’s game and therefore, CLE simply won’t have an answer to stop D. Cousins down low as T. Zeller will be completely overpowered by a D. Cousins that is coming from one of the worst games of the season w/ 3-16 from the field. Pick: 3 units (Single Dime Play) on 501 Sacramento Kings ML @ -120 / 1.83 on Betonline

NBA Free Premium Play 01/22: Sacramento Kings @ Houston Rockets

Sacramento  at Houston

NBA - 715 Sacramento Kings @ 716 Houston Rockets Play #5 HOU offense has been just phenomenal if we forget the monumental collapse @ second half vs. OKC! They are attacking the rim, their inside-out game has been terrific and most importantly, they are getting healthier, especially in the backcourt w/ Harden, Lin & Beverly. In the L6 games, they are averaging 55.3 points in the paint per game along w/ 17.7 fast break pts per game. For tonight’s contest I expect HOU offense to crush SAC’s awful defense that is primed for a tremendous letdown: This is going to be SAC’s last game of their current road trip – their fifth game in just 8 days! Despite winning “big” last night @NO, SAC’s coach didn’t promote any kind of rotation as Gay logged 42 minutes, Isaiah 39 minutes or Thompson 36 minutes… In fact, they were so focused in feeding Rudy Gay’s on the offensive end that they apparently forgot that they have to play tonight @ HOU. For some reason, SAC is 2-0 vs. HOU in the first 2 h2h games this season so we are dealing w/ revenge spot for HOU as well. In those two losses, HOU combined to shot just 14 of 55 beyond the arc - an awful 25.5% mark! Considering that SAC is dead last in the league in opponent 3P% (38.8%), I really don’t expect HOU to struggle once again from the outside. We catching HOU in a terrific offensive moment vs. one of the worst defensive teams in the league that have a terrible physical spot for tonight and will face a fired up team that have some revenge in their mind = blowout win! Pick: 3 units (Single Dime Play) on 716 Houston Rockets (-10) @ -110 / 1.91 on Bookmaker

NBA Free Premium Play 01/15: Sacramento Kings @ Minnesota Timberwolves

Sacramento  at Minnesota

NBA - 711 Sacramento Kings @ 712 Minnesota Timberwolves Play #4 SAC really didn’t have a chance last night against IND...I have to say that few teams would have a chance against a Pacers’ team playing at home w/ 3 days off to rest and prepare the game. The bright spot was D. Cousins posting a monster line of 12-21 FG 31pts, 13 reb e 2 assists in just 30 minutes against the best interior defensive players in the league and because the game was a blowout early on the 4th quarter, SAC’s coach decided to “rest” the starters so we have a SAC team not involved in a awful b2b spot. This 10-points blowout line for MIN is a bit overrated IMO, because MIN defense by no means is “near” of the level displayed by IND defense last night and so, MIN offense would have to simply outscore SAC’s offense and in a potential run and gun game, I don’t think that will happen quite easy… MIN indeed had some blowout wins vs. inferior level teams but note that the majority of those wins were against teams not used to play in fast paced affairs like CHA, MIL or BOS who have lost 92-119, 95-117 or 88-106 @MIN. This contest will be a run and gun game, both teams won’t put a lot of effort on defense and so, SAC offense is extremely dangerous in this potential scenario and that’s why I’m taking them tonight as my Single Dime Play. Pick: 3 units (Single Dime Play) on 711 Sacramento Kings (+10) @ -110 / 1.91 on Betonline

NBA Free Premium Play 01/14: Sacramento Kings @ Indiana Pacers

Sacramento  at Indiana

NBA - 503 Sacramento Kings @ 504 Indiana Pacers Play #1 In my opinion, this is a rare opportunity in the league in which we can see the Pacers involved in a high scoring affair… IND offense has struggled a bit in the last games w/ just 97.0 Off. Rtg in L6 games. Danny Granger is now having a bigger role in the team and obviously, it will take some time for him and for the team to develop the proper chemistry. However, IMO their offensive struggles are mainly related w/ a tough schedule, as they have played 7 games in just 11 games w/ plenty of traveling: home vs. CLE; @ TOR; home vs. NO; @ CLE; home vs. TOR; @ ATL and home vs. WAS. For this contest, they enjoyed a nice 3-days off to rest and more importantly, they will face one of the worst defensive teams in the league. SAC interior defensive is simply terrible and so we can expect D. West, Roy Hibbert and L. Scola to dominate down low on the offensive end against the #25 ranked defense vs. post up plays. Obviously, the X factor for this play is related w/ the matchup IND defense vs. SAC offense… SAC offense has been spectacular in L3 games w/ Off. Rtg. = 123.2, 117.4 & 132.9 while scoring 123, 103 and 124 points. They are attacking the rim and their transition game has been good as well. I expect SAC to push the pace at every opportunity in order to score in the open court. SAC offense is now ranked #12 according to my numbers and IND defense has allowed Def. Rtg = 102.7 vs. top12 offensive teams in the league vs. pure domination against inferior level offensive competition of 94.96. It will be so easy to score against SAC, that I expect IND to be a bit “relaxed” on the defensive end while SAC has some offensive weapons and the proper “good momentum” to score at a decent pace tonight.  Pick: 3 units (Single Dime Play) on 503/504 Over 194 @ -115 / 1.87 on Bovada

NBA Free Premium Play 12/27: Miami Heat @ Sacramento Kings

Miami  at Sacramento

NBA - 815 Miami Heat @ 816 Sacramento Kings Play #4 Miami managed their lead at LA against the Lakers on Christmas Day without much trouble. Dwyane Wade was the most used player from the Heat with 39 minutes, while Lebron James played 36 minutes and Chris Bosh 31 minutes. The Heat will play an important game tomorrow at Portland, so considering how easily they crushed Sacramento by 122-103 at home a week ago, I believe this is a clear look ahead spot for Miami tonight. On that game played last Friday, Miami allowed the Kings to shoot 58.1% FG! Weirdly, Sacramento didn't win the boards battle, but the truth is that with both teams shooting close to 60% FG, it was hard for any team to grab a lot of offensive rebounds. Chris Anderson was one of the key players on that game, as even though he played just 21 minutes, he helped his team in preventing the Kings from dominating the boards. Anderson is out for tonight's game and so, Sacramento has definitely a good spot to crush the boards tonight and get some extra possessions to make this game close. Sacramento is coming from a home loss against the Pelicans, where they were terrible spot on pick and roll ball handler, spot up and transition defense. It appears that their coach Mike Malone laid a smackdown on the players after the game and the truth is that since the Rudy Gay trade, Sacramento had barely time to practice, as they were in the middle of a road trip. They had finally 3 days off to rest and regroup before tonight's game and so, I expect the Kings to have a decent bounce back on defense in here. With the Kings being better on defense, getting the upper hand on the rebounds and with Miami on a look ahead game, while not using Dwyane Wade, Ray Allen and Chris Anderson, I see good value in taking Sacramento tonight. So, I'm taking the Kings plus the points in here. Pick: 3 units (Single Dime Play) on 816 Sacramento Kings (+6.5) @ -110 / 1.91 on Betonline

NBA Free Premium Play 12/21: Sacramento Kings @ Orlando Magic

Sacramento  at Orlando

NBA - 505 Sacramento Kings @ 506 Orlando Magic Plays #3 & 4 Sacramento's defense had no chance against Atlanta's and Miami's spread offenses, as they have good shooters all over the floor, ready to explore the Kings' poor team help defense. This is why the Hawks and the Heat had 38 and 32 assists in those games. The question is that Orlando's offense won't be able to do something similar in here. The Magic's offense is based on pick and rolls, spot ups and transitions plus while Atlanta is #1 on assist rates and Miami is #4, Orlando is just #24! The Magic are #14 on pick and roll ball handler offense, but they aren't good on spot ups and transitions. In fact, they are just shooting 32.3% 3pts over the last 10 games (#24)! Therefore, I believe that Sacramento's defense has a nice spot in here to bounce back decently in here, after getting crushed in back to back games. Orlando is a good team when it comes to protecting the basket and it isn't easy to game to have monster games against them by pounding them down low with a lot of points in the paint. The Magic are #4 on points in the paint allowed, #2 on post up defense and they are allowing just 60% FG at the rim! Therefore, Sacramento won't have in here a good spot to score a lot of easy points, even though DeMarcus Cousins should outplay Nikola Vucevic. However, the Kings' pick and roll offense led by Isaiah Thomas should have a mega edge on offense against Orlando's poor defense, who is just #22 on pick and roll ball handler defense. Therefore, I expect a relatively low scoring game in here with Sacramento having the slight upper hand and so, I'll be taking both the Kings and the Under tonight. Pick: 3 units (Single Dime Play) on 505/506 Under 204 @ -110 / 1.91 on Betonline Pick: 3 units (Single Dime Play) on 505 Sacramento Kings (+3,5) @ -110 / 1.91 on Betonline

NBA Free Premium Play 12/17: Sacramento Kings @ Charlotte Bobcats

Sacramento  at Charlotte

NBA - 503 Sacramento Kings @ 504 Charlotte Bobcats Play #3 ***DOUBLE DIME PLAY*** I must confess that I really don’t like to play the OVER involving the Bobcats, but we have tonight a really good spot for them to have a decent offensive game, and more importantly, we have the proper line value edge. This Bobcats team really can’t hit outside shots, if they just could be a “decent” shooting team, certainly they were a lock to be in the playoffs @Eastern Conference. They are decent when they attack the rim especially w/ Kemba Walker dribble drive’s moves, this is one of the biggest reasons of why the Bobcats are ranked #6 in Free Throws attempted per game w/ 26.1. I had a play w/ Bobcats in their last game against the Lakers but they were really tired after playing tight the Pacers on the road in the previous night and their lack of aggressiveness was well evident if we just notice that they went only 8 times to the charity stripe line. For tonight, their offense will have 3 key edges for them: 1) The Kings interior defense is one of the worst of the league! I have them ranked #30 protecting the rim by allowing almost 70% FG! 2) Kemba Walker’s matchup is Isaiah Thomas who is far from being a good defensive player and finally 3) The Kings are ranked #27 in defending post up plays so Al Jefferson could have a nice offensive game as well. On the other side, the Kings offense has been pretty good since Isaiah Thomas is their full time Point Guard. The fact that Rudy Gay is coming from efficient back to back games is a bit of a surprise (he had 8-12 FG & 10-20 FG L2 games) and the Kings offense are a tough matchup right now for any team. I expect the Kings to dictate the tempo of the game. The Bobcats against Western Conference are playing @faster pace so we can expect a relatively up tempo game w/ both teams having the upper hand vs. defenses; therefore I’m taking the Over in here as my Double Dime Play! Pick: 4 units (Double Dime Play) on 503/504 Over 196 @ -110 / 1.91 on Bookmaker

NBA Free Premium Play 11/23: Sacramento Kings @ Los Angeles Clippers

Sacramento  at LA Clippers

NBA - 701 Sacramento Kings @ 702 Los Angeles Clippers Play #2 NOTE: early game! The Clippers aren't on a good physical spot for today, as they played back to back games Wednesday and Thursday, with both games being quite intensive ones at Minnesota and especially at Oklahoma City. They are now returning home and they will play this 12PM local time game against Sacramento. Their lack of depth on the frontcourt is becoming problematic, as it has been easy to score against them near the basket. In fact, the LA team is allowing 52.5 points in the paint over the last 7 games, while allowing near 70% FG at the rim! On this letdown spot for the Clippers, it's important to know if the Kings have been improving or not lately. Their new Head Coach Mike Malone is still looking for the team's best lineups. Sacramento was playing with DeMarcus Cousins and Patrick Patterson on the frontcourt, but they were being constantly outrebounded and so, Malone replace Patterson with Jason Thompson and the results have been good so far. Sacramento's perimeter defense was also looking too soft and so, Malone benched John Salmons and replaced him with Luc Mbah a Moute, a player that gives more athleticism and especially more consistency to the lineup. So, the Kings with these changes were able to beat Phoenix two times in a row and their win at Phoenix was their first road win of the season! I don't expect this game to be an easy one for the Clippers, as Sacramento will have an edge with Cousins down low and with Isiah Thomas coming off the bench, the team will have a clear edge over the Clippers' backup guards. On the first game of the season between these two teams, the Clippers won at Sacramento by 9 points due to big fourth quarter, but this Kings team has nothing to do with the team that played that game. In fact, only Cousins and Vasquez remain in the starting lineup since then. Therefore, I'll be taking Sacramento today. Pick: 3 units (Single Dime Play) on 701 Sacramento Kings (+10,5) @ -110 / 1.91 on Bookmaker

Sacramento Kings NBA Team Season Preview 2013-14

SACRAMENTO KINGS

Season Review 2012/13:

Advanced Stats
	Numbers	Rank
Pace	93.6	8
Offense	106.2	12
Defense	111.4	29
Rebound	48.9	24

4 Factors
Offense	Numbers	Rank	Defense	Numbers	Rank
eFG%	49.1	16	eFG%	51.7	27
TO%	13.4	9	TO%	13.6	17
Reb%	26.6	16	Reb%	29.0	30
FT%	20.8	12	FT%	22.7	27

Monthly Performance
	Record	OffRtg	DefRtg
November	4-11	103.2	109.2
December	7-8	107.2	113.6
January	6-11	104.4	115.8
February	3-9	108.9	117.0
March	7-8	113.7	110.5
April	1-7	106.6	114.8

The Kings had another season where they were clearly the worst organization in the league, something recurring over the last few years. With a 28-54 record, they were the sixth worst team in the regular season, something ridiculous considering the individual talent that the team had. I give more value to what Charlotte did last season with very little talent on their roster than Sacramento, a team that was characterized by selfish play and lack of discipline throughout the season.

Even with a poorly managed offense by Head Coach Keith Smart, who consistently inserted weird lineups on the court, the Kings actually managed to be a reasonable offensive team during the season by being #12 in offensive rating. Over the months of February and March, the Kings averaged a nice 104.1 and 107.3 offensive ratings numbers, while being one of the few teams in the league that scored over 100 points to Memphis during the regular season.

The problem was that the team didn’t even have a similar effort when it came to defense, with only the Bobcats being worse than them on defense during the regular season. Sacramento’s defense “managed” to be in the bottom 5 on eFG% (#27), defensive rebounding (#30) and FT rate (#27), something that shows how Sacramento struggled on every defensive areas of the game.

Keith Smart once again couldn’t get the respect and trust from his players and when that happens, any coach won’t be able to do a good job. DeMarcus Cousins failed to breakthrough once again due to his lack of professionalism and selfishness by being the #3 player in the league with more personal fouls per game (3.6), #2 on ejections (4) and he was the “champion” on technical fouls with 17!

The team’s best player performance always reflects a lot on the team’s overall performance and this clearly happened in Sacramento last season: a talented player who can’t reach his full potential due to lack of work ethic and professionalism.

Offseason Report:

The first step that Sacramento needed to make to change its path would always have to be a coaching change. It’s not like Coach Smart is a bad person or a poor coach (he is), but the truth is that when a coach can’t discipline his team, he will never be able to guide them onto something positive.

Therefore, the Kings hired Mike Malone to be their new Head Coach. He was considered as one of the best assistant coaches in the league and he really did an awesome job at Golden State over the last two seasons. Having in considering the franchise’s history over the last few years, if Malone manages to change the bad identity that has been characterizing the Kings recently, then he will get a big victory immediately.

Unlike what happened with DeMarcus Cousins, who got an extension with the Kings on a four-year, $62 million deal, the Kings didn’t make a big effort to keep Tyreke Evans in their roster.

In order to replace Evans, the Kings selected Ben McLemore with the 7^th overall pick. The Kings also got Greivis Vasquez on a three-team trade that involved Evans’s move to New Orleans to improve the team at the PG position.

In the frontcourt, Luc Richard Mbah a Moute was a nice pickup from the Bucks, while Carl Landry agreed to a four-year, $26 million contract with the Kings to give them more depth on an unit where they have a lot of talent on paper. However, Landry will be out for the first three/four months of the season due to a hip injury.

NBA Premium Play 04/10: New Orleans Hornets @ Sacramento Kings

NBA - 715 New Orleans Hornets @ 716 Sacramento Kings

Projected Line: Sacramento by 9 points

During this last part of the season, it's very important to try to understand the level of energy of the teams in every spot. Today, I believe the Kings will have a huge energy edge over the Hornets tonight. New Orleans will play their third game in four night, while they are also on a back to back spot, as they played last night in LA against the Lakers. The Hornets spent a lot of energy on the first two games of this road trip, as they defeated the Suns on the road, in a game where five of their players were on court for over 30 minutes, while the Hornets were also a tough opponent for the Lakers last night, as the LA team was only able to decide the game at their favor down the stretch. Both Greivis Vasquez and Eric Gordon made a huge effort last night and they are unlikely to play tonight. Gordon hasn't been playing back to back games, while Vasquez turned his ankle badly yesterday. The Hornets don't have a lot of depth on their backcourt, so they are in a terrible spot tonight while being also shorthanded.

On the other side, Sacramento will play their second last home game of the season tonight. They will have a huge edge in terms of speed of their guards tonight with Isiah Thomas and Tyreke Evans, two players that should torch the tired and shorthanded Hornets's backcourt. Sacramento struggled on their 3pts shooting over their last three games, so they lost these three games, however they have a good bounce back spot tonight, as the Hornets's awful perimeter defense is allowing 38% 3pts on their last 10 games. New Orleans had two blowout wins over Sacramento on the first two games of the season played between these two teams, with both Vasquez and Gordon dominating the Kings with a combined of 35 points + 13 assists in the first contest and 25 points + 21 assists on the second one. I expect Sacramento to get revenge tonight and have a blowout win in here.

Pick: 3 units (Single Dime Play) on 716 Sacramento Kings (-6) @ -110 / 1.91 on Bookmaker

NBA Premium Play 03/30: Los Angeles Lakers @ Sacramento Kings

NBA - 517 Los Angeles Lakers @ 518 Sacramento Kings

Projected Line: Sacramento by 1 point

The Lakers are favored once again on the road against a lowly team who happens to be 19-16 at home this season. By the way, the last two games Sacramento was a home dog, they crushed Chicago by 121-79 and the LA Clippers by 116-101! The Lakers are in a poor spot for tonight. They had two tough games back to back at Minnesota and Milwaukee, while they had just 1 day off to regroup from Milwaukee's loss and come play tonight at Sacramento. As if that wasn't enough, they are completely banged up. Metta World Peace is out, Steve Nash is questionable and Kobe Bryant is probable, but he will likely force things too much tonight on offense once again.

But the main problem for the Lakers tonight is that the Kings's offense are a terrible matchup for the Lakers's slow footed defense. Sacramento's guards are very fast and they like to attack off the dribble. As you've been watching the Lakers this season, you know how badly they struggle against this kind of quick guards. Just look at their last game, where Monta Ellis and Brandon Jennings had a combined of 38 points and 16 assists against them! Sure that Sacramento's defense is a poor unit and so, Dwight Howard could have a big game. However, this will be a wild fast paced game and I don't think the Lakers will have the proper offensive discipline to establish their game through Howard. When Jodie Meeks attempts 12 shots during the game, while Dwight Howard attempt just 8 shots, you know that something is wrong with the Lakers's offense and I don't really expect that to change tonight.

Sacramento's speed and their depth edge will worn the Lakers out tonight. The Lakers keep being overrated and so, I keep fading them. Sacramento has been playing well for quite some time now and they seem to be ultra focused when they face top teams. This is why they've defeated the Clippers, they've hung around at Denver and they also defeated Golden State on the road last Wednesday night! They will treat this contest like it was a playoff game for them and therefore, I'll be taking Sacramento in here.

Pick: 3 units (Single Dime Play) on 518 Sacramento Kings (+2.5) @ -110 / 1.91 on Bookmaker

NBA Premium Play 03/28: Sacramento Kings @ Phoenix Suns

NBA - 805 Sacramento Kings @ 806 Phoenix Suns

Projected Line: Sacramento by 5 points

There is a big difference between these two lowly teams when it comes to competitiveness on this part of the season. Phoenix's tank job has already started on their last game at Utah yesterday, with the Suns not playing Goran Dragic even though he was healthy and ready to play. And it looks like this decision will be extended for today's game: 

Dragic, who leads the Suns with 14.4 points and 7.2 assists per game, was told Tuesday night that he would not play Wednesday but did not know if he was playing Thursday night. Suns interim coach Lindsey Hunter said Dragic would not play either night to rest him, provide opportunities for rookies Kendall Marshall and Diante Garrett and prepare Dragic for his summer with Slovenia in the European Championship.

“If you ask me personally, I would play,” Dragic said. “That's why they make the decision.

“I can play. I’m in great shape. There’s always pain and bruises but you can always play through that.”

Of the timing with a game at Utah, Hunter said, “That’s not my concern.”

“If you’ve seen him after games, you see how he looks like he’s been boxing,” Hunter said. “He’s been through a lot this year, little nicks and bruises, but he just fights through it so I think it’s good for him.

“We know we’re not making the playoffs and he’s logged a lot of minutes and played phenomenal for us. He’s going to have a long summer playing ball so he has a lot to do. We’re aware of that and his well-being. We don’t want him to totally be run down.”

And what about Sacramento? Well, they've just defeated Golden State on the road last night! Prior to that game, they almost defeated Denver on the road, something that shows that even though the Kings are a young team and they are unfocused at times, they are still trying to win games. Sacramento in healthy and their second unit is actually decent in comparison to the other lowly teams, as they have Patrick Patterson, Chuck Hayes, Marcus Thornton and Toney Douglas! We aren't talking about scrubs, while the same doesn't happen with Phoenix's poor bench. Without Dragic playing, Phoenix has a huge offensive problem. Rookie Kendall Marshall is having his opportunity to shine, but he is a very raw shooter. He is a good passes, but he is still far from being at NBA level, as he's shown yesterday with 5 turnovers. Therefore, we will have a clear edge for Sacramento at the PG position today with Isiah Thomas, who is coming from a game where he simply outplayed Stephen Curry!

Sacramento is continuing to shoot very well from long range and despite their questionable defensive effort tonight, I believe there is a considerable gap of talent between these two offenses, something that will result on a comfortable win for the Kings tonight. Phoenix's perimeter defense has been awful all season long and that will be the kiss of death for them against a red hot Sacramento. Therefore, I'll be taking the Kings in here.

Pick: 3 units (Single Dime Play) on 805 Sacramento Kings (-2) @ -110 / 1.91 on Bookmaker

NBA Premium Play 03/27: Sacramento Kings @ Golden State Warriors

NBA - 775 Sacramento Kings @ 776 Golden State Warriors

Projected Lines: 217 points | Golden State by 6 points

The Warriors are coming from an excellent home win against the Lakers, but where for the second game in a row they disappeared during the fourth quarter. The Lakers's defense offered the Warriors's offense a dream matchup, as they were able to do whatever they wanted with their guards: 9-19 FG and 0.95 PPP on pick and roll ball handler plays; 1.12 PPP on spot up plays; 7-8 FG and 1.50 PPP on cuts! The good news for Golden State in that game was that their poor perimeter defense wasn't exposed by the Lakers, who dished just 17 assists during the whole game! 

The main difference for tonight's game is that Sacramento will be a much tougher opponent on offense than the Lakers were last Monday night. The Kings have been shooting extremely well from the perimeter and they will exposed the Warriors's poor perimeter defense without much trouble, especially on a letdown spot for Golden State. DeMarcus Cousins is coming from a poor game against Philadelphia where he shot just 3-9 FG, so I believe he will bounce back today and he has a good matchup to do it as well. 

I expect this contest to be a fast paced game, with both teams taking advantage of their good offense and their opponent's poor defense to have great offensive games. Therefore, I expect this contest to be a pure shootout and so, I'll be taking the Over in here. On the other hand, I don't trust Golden State to cover blowout lines, as their defense isn't good enough to allow them to have big wins most of the times. Sacramento is a good offensive team and they'll clearly outplay Golden State's defense tonight, especially with the Warriors being on a clear letdown spot after their big win over the Lakers. Therefore, I'll be taking the Kings in here as well.

Pick: 3 units (Single Dime Play) on 775/776 Over 213 @ -110 / 1.91 on Bookmaker

Pick: 3 units (Single Dime Play) on 775 Sacramento Kings (+9) @ -110 / 1.91 on Bookmaker

NBA Premium Play 03/24: Philadelphia 76ers @ Sacramento Kings

NBA - 713 Philadelphia 76ers @ 714 Sacramento Kings

Projected Line: pk line

Sacramento lost a real chance of beating Denver last night. It wasn't needed a lot to beat the Nuggets yesterday, as they were super floppy, with a lot of turnovers, poor shooting and they only won the game because Sacramento's defense was terrible, especially on transitions. On the other hand, the Kings had a big game from DeMarcus Cousins in the second half, but he also had 5 turnovers on his own. Sacramento played some ugly basketball as well, but they committed less turnovers than Denver and actually shot better, but the Nuggets's edges on rebounding and free throw shooting was enough for Denver to win this game.

The Kings won't have an easy game tonight, as this is a back to back game for them, after playing at Denver last night, and especially Philadelphia will be a tough matchup for them. The Sixers are #5 in the league on transition defense and that's something easy to explain as they commit a low number of turnovers and they don't even try to grab offensive rebounds in order to be able to run back quickly into defense. This will immediately cause problems to Sacramento's offense, who depends a lot from their transition plays to be effective on offense. On the other side, Philadelphia is bound to have a great offensive game tonight. Sacramento's rim defense has been terrible lately with 74% FG allowed since the All Star game and Jrue Holiday and Even Turner won't have problems in executing their dribble penetrations today to make some easy layups. Philadelphia has a nice volume on pick and roll ball handler plays and transitions, two areas where the Kings's defense is just plain terrible by being #30 in the league on pick and roll ball handler defense and #28 on transition defense. The Sixers shoot a lot from the 16-23 feet area and Sacramento's defense is allowing their opponents to shoot 42% FG since the All Star break from that area, so I expect Philadelphia to take advantage of this great matchup for them and Sacramento's poor spot to finally win a game on the road. Therefore, I'll be taking the Sixers tonight.

Pick: 3 units (Single Dime Play) on 713 Philadelphia 76ers (+3) @ -110 / 1.91 on Bookmaker

NBA Premium Play 03/23: Sacramento Kings @ Denver Nuggets

NBA - 509 Sacramento Kings @ 510 Denver Nuggets

Projected Lines: 226 points | Denver by 9 points

Being on a huge winning streak can be tough for a team, especially on their mentality. When teams are playing that well, it's impossible not to relax against lowly teams. We have the recent examples of Miami at Cleveland and Denver against Philadelphia. The same will happen tonight to Denver when they face the lowly Kings. After tonight's game, Denver will play at New Orleans and then they will play at San Antonio, in a game where they will be fired up to play against a top team. However, the same won't happen tonight and Sacramento's offense has good tools to cause a lot of problems to Denver tonight. Their long range shooting has been great and the team has been on fired since the All Star break with 41.6% 3pts! Denver's defense is built to pack the paint and give space on the outside and so, they are #30 in the league on spot up defense. 

Sacramento's offense has been playing really well lately with a lot of aggressiveness and since their home loss against Denver, they only had one blowout loss at LA against the Lakers due to ta poor second half. Besides that, they crushed Phoenix, Chicago and the LA Lakers, while they also defeated Minnesota and lost by 4 points in Golden State and by 2 points at home against Milwaukee. On the other side, Sacramento's defense is indeed very poor and so, Denver will have massive edges on offense tonight. Ty Lawson will return to the lineup and with the Kings having such a poor rim defense, a horrible pick and roll ball handler defense and also a weak transition defense, no wonder Denver has scored over 120 points on their first three games of the season against the Kings. I expect a super high scoring game tonight, but with Sacramento's offense taking advantage of their edges to turn this game into a competitive one. Therefore, I'll be taking both the Kings and the Over in here.

Pick: 3 units (Single Dime Play) on 509/510 Over 223 @ -110 / 1.91 on Betonline

Pick: 3 units (Single Dime Play) on 509 Sacramento Kings (+12,5) @ -110 / 1.91 on Betonline

NBA Free Premium Play 03/21: Minnesota Timberwolves @ Sacramento Kings

Minnesota  at Sacramento

NBA - 705 Minnesota Timberwolves @ 706 Sacramento Kings Projected Line: Sacramento by 2 points I actually believe Minnesota has a great chance of winning this game outright. First of all, I believe that due to Sacramento's mindset for this contest. They are coming from a mega win at home against the Clippers, where they were close to double digit dogs. But how are the Kings faring as home favorites after winning a game? Not well by being 1-4 ATS this season! More than that, Minnesota's offense will have some great edges in here. The Wolves have four guards running the offense and naturally their offense is super heavy on pick and roll ball handler plays and since the All Star break, 20% of their offensive plays have been pick and roll ball handler plays (#1 in the league in volume of this kind of play). Thanks to the speed that they have due to the fact that they use an undersized lineup, they are also having a considerable volume of transitions, besides the typical spot up plays. This means that pick and rolls + transitions + spot ups are currently representing something like 70% of Minnesota's offense right now. But how does Sacramento defend on these areas? Well, terribly! The Kings are the worst pick and roll ball handler defense in the league, while they are #28 in the league on transition defense. Therefore, the Wolves should be able to have a great offensive game tonight. On the other side, it's true that Minnesota's defense has their limitations. However, Nikola Pekovic and Andrei Kirilenko are back and they help the team improving on defense big time. But what I like on the Wolves's defense for this contest is their ability to force turnovers. Minnesota's defensive pressure on the opposing ball handler is excellent, especially Ricky Rubio who has been amazing on this area lately. Sacramento's guards don't take care of the ball well and so, the Wolves have the perfect opponent in here to force turnovers and completely ruin Sacramento's offensive flow on this contest. I believe Sacramento will overlook Minnesota tonight and with the Wolves exploring the Kings's poor defense, I expect Minnesota to be super competitive today. Therefore, I'll be taking the Timberwolves in here. Pick: 3 units (Single Dime Play) on 705 Minnesota Timberwolves (+6) @ -110 / 1.91 on Bookmaker

NBA Premium Play 03/17: Sacramento Kings @ Los Angeles Lakers

NBA - 885 Sacramento Kings @ 886 Los Angeles Lakers

Projected Line: LA Lakers by 6 points

This is a really bad spot for the Lakers. They had a 3-games road trip on the East at Orlando, Atlanta and Indiana, with their last game against the Pacers being a physically brutal contest. Kobe Bryant was super banged up and he played just for a few minutes, while Dwight Howard was involved in a lot of physical disputes in both ends of the floor. So, no wonder that Howard is struggling physically right now, after such physical battle with the Pacers's powerful frontcourt:

"It's sore since [Friday]," said Dwight. "It hasn't stopped bothering me." He intends to play through the injury, but this is a good reminder that he's always one awkward rebound away from aggravating his existing labrum injury.

The Lakers had just 1 day off to return home from Indiana and prepare for tonight's game. This spot would be problematic for any team, but it's especially tough for a banged up veteran team like the Lakers. Sacramento is a lowly team, they are horrible on defense, but their offense has been at an elite level since the All Star game by averaging an offensive rating of 114.3! In fact, they showed their offensive talent on their last game, where they scored 121 points against the Bulls elite defense! The keys for this offensive improvement are related with their red hot outside shooting (43.6% 3pts since the All Star break) and a demolishing transition game! The Kings have super quick guards who are very aggressive in attacking the basket early on the shotclock. This will be very problematic for the Lakers's defense, who struggles a lot in running back to defense. It's true that the LA team has allowed just 4, 4, 11 and 11 fast break points on their last four games, but that was simply due to the circumstances of those games. Chicago, Orlando and Indiana are teams that don't have on their mindset scoring fast break points (Chicago #24 with 10.2 ppg; Orlando #25 with 9.8 ppg; Indiana #21 with 11.5 ppg), while Atlanta is a potent team on transitions, but they were missing Josh Smith and Jeff Teague on their game against the Lakers and so, they couldn't be effective on transitions. Things will be completely different with Sacramento, who is averaging almost 20 fast break points per game since the All Star break!

The Lakers without Kobe Bryant will struggle to beat the very quick Kings, let alone cover a blowout line. Therefore, I'll be taking Sacramento tonight.

Pick: 3 units (Single Dime Play) on 885 Sacramento Kings (+9.5) @ -110 / 1.91 on Bookmaker

NBA Premium Play 03/10: Milwaukee Bucks @ Sacramento Kings

NBA - 815 Milwaukee Bucks @ 816 Sacramento Kings

Projected Line: 222 points

***DOUBLE DIME PLAY***

Milwaukee had a nice win last night at Golden State, despite playing without Ersan Ilyasova. Coach Boylan's gameplan was simple: play fast and small! Milwaukee played extremely small all in the game with four of their most used players last night being guards: Brandon Jennings, Monta Ellis, J.J. Redick and Mike Dunleavy! With Ilyasova doubtful for tonight, I have no doubt that the gameplan will be similar, especially when their opponent tonight is Sacramento! By the way, it's interesting how Golden State and Houston were both flat last night. On my recap of the Warriors/Rockets game, I mentioned how tired both teams looked down the stretch and they indeed carried their fatigue in their games on the following day, with Houston losing at Phoenix as 7-points favorite, while Golden State lost at home against Milwaukee as a 3-points favorite!

The Kings have been a quite dangerous team lately, especially at home. They don't care about defending, but fortunately for them, they are really clicking on the offensive end right now. There isn't a team that is more red hot than them behind the arc right now, as they shot 43.8% 3pts on their last 10 games! As they have a lot of depth on their roster and no injuries, Sacramento is playing in an insane fast pace and they are attacking in transition extremely well with 21.1 fast break points per game on their last 12 games! I remember that Milwaukee will play most of the game with a 4-guards rotation, so I don't expect to see the Bucks stopping the Kings's guards off the dribble today. Larry Sanders is a beast, but he can't perform miracles alone on the frontcourt!

Sacramento with their depth and while facing a team on a back to back spot, they will push the pace and their typical game. Curiously, on the game played these two teams at Milwaukee earlier on the season, Sacramento scored just 85 points, but this Kings team has nothing to do with the team that played against the Bucks in December 12th. Not only the Kings won't shoot 3-19 3pts this season, as their backcourt won't be formed by Travis Outlaw, Francisco Garcia and Aaron Brooks, while DeMarcus Cousins and Marcus Thornton will play tonight, unlike what happened in the game at Milwaukee. We will watch in here a fun run and gun game in a complete shootout battle and therefore, I'll be taking the Over in here in a Double Dime Play!

Pick: 4 units (Double Dime Play) on 815/816 Over 214.5 @ -110 / 1.91 on Bookmaker