Rockets Visit Kings Looking To Tie Season Series
Houston hasn’t lost a season series against Sacramento in a decade. Having lost twice to the Kings already this season, they’ll need to win on Tuesday if they’re to keep that record alive.
Looking to further close the gap at the top of the Southwest Division, the Houston Rockets visit the Sacramento Kings on Tuesday in a game that could be closer than anticipated.
Tip-off at Sleep Train Arena is scheduled for 10:00 p.m. ET.
After seeing its eight-game winning streak snapped in Oakland on Thursday, Houston (38-18, 16-11 road) bounced back to winning ways on Sunday, defeating the Phoenix Suns 115-112 to move to 2-1 in the first three games of a five-game west coast swing.
The victory marked the Rockets’ ninth win in 10 games and saw the side move within two games of the San Antonio Spurs at the top of the Southwest Division.
For the Rockets, catching the Spurs could be vital going into the postseason.
As things currently stand, Houston is in a virtual tie with the Portland Trail Blazers at 38-18, but because division leaders are automatically assigned a top four berth, the two actually sit in third and fifth place respectively. Of course, there’s a big difference between finishing third and fifth, and that’s home court advantage.
If Houston wants to earn home court advantage for at least the first round, it would do well to avoid a race with the Blazers. That probably means winning the Southwest Division.
With the Spurs banged up and Houston playing some of the best basketball in the Association – the Rockets are 17-5 since January 1 – the division all of a sudden looks to be up for grabs. But if Kevin McHale’s side is to emerge victorious in that race, it needs to win when it is expected to, beginning on Tuesday.
Sacramento (20-36, 12-17 home) enters Tuesday’s game with the Western Conference’s second worst record, but thinking the Rockets will soar past the Kings would be ill advised.
Since the turn of the year, Mike Malone’s side has gone 10-16, a record that’s less abhorrent than you might expect.
The Kings earned a second straight win on Sunday, picking up a rare road win over the Denver Nuggets. Isaiah Thomas tallied 33 in the Mile High City while Rudy Gay added 32, as the Kings pulled away in the third quarter.
The victory marked a third success in four games. The Kings have also won three of their last four at home, all of a sudden proving to be a tough out for teams.
Houston already knows about Sacramento’s toughness. The Kings defeated the Rockets in their first two meetings of the season, both back in December. When the two sides met on December 15, Sacramento emerged with a 106-91 victory.
Houston did record a win the last time the sides met, winning 119-98 on January 23. The Kings lost both Rudy Gay and DeMarcus Cousins in that game, and will consider that final score to come with an asterisk.
The Rockets will look to defeat the Kings Tuesday night and avoid a first head-to-head season series loss against the Northern California side since the 2003-04 campaign.
The Kings learned this week that they will be without guard Jason Terry for the rest of the season. Terry was recently acquired alongside Reggie Evans – who has already had a positive impact on the Kings – in a trade with the Brooklyn Nets.
Houston Rockets vs. Sacramento Kings odds for 02/25/2014
Houston will be a road favorite when the team takes to the hardwood against the Kings on Tuesday.
The Rockets have generally had success against the Kings in recent years, winning 10 of the last 14 head-to-head matchups and five of the last seven played in Sacramento. But results this season will be enough to put some doubt into the result of this game.
The spread opened at 4.5.
Houston (29-24-3 ATS) has fared better against the spread than Sacramento (25-29-2 ATS) this season, but the Kings are 2-1-0 ATS when playing the Rockets this campaign.
Houston is 10-4-0 ATS against Sacramento in the last 14 head-to-head meetings between the sides, and 12-5-1 ATS in the last 18 played in Sacramento.
The over/under opened at 212.5.
Houston (25-29-2) has favored the under this season, while Sacramento (28-27-1) has marginally favored the over. However, nine of the Kings’ last 13 have seen the total go under.
The previous three meetings offer no clues here; the total went under in the first meeting, over in the second, and finished with a push in the third.
The total has gone under in four of Houston’s last six visits to Sacramento, but if you look back further, the total has gone over in 12 of 18 played at what is now known as Sleep Train Arena.
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