Suns' playoff hopes take a hit in loss to lowly Kings

Basketball Betting Lines

03/30/2009 - Sacramento, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Jason Thompson was one of seven Kings in double figures, logging 21 points and eight rebounds as Sacramento dealt Phoenix's playoff chances a crushing blow in a 126-118 decision over the Suns.

Spencer Hawes tied a career-high with 20 points in addition to 10 rebounds, while Andres Nocioni and Francisco Garcia chipped in 19 points apiece for Sacramento, which had lost six straight to Phoenix and seven of eight overall coming in.

After four straight 50-plus win campaigns, the Suns find themselves in an unfamiliar situation, sitting 3 1/2 games behind Dallas for the eighth and final spot in the Western Conference playoff race with eight games to play.

Steve Nash provided a solid 31-point, 14-assist effort, but Phoenix dropped its third straight affair following a promising six-game winning streak. Shaquille O'Neal ended with 24 points and nine rebounds, while Jared Dudley contributed 17 and 11 off the bench in the inexcusable setback.

The Kings led 105-96 to open the fourth and dictated the game's pace in the final stanza. After Nash's three-pointer and Dudley's layup cut the Suns' deficit to 115-110 with under six minute left, Hawes netted a bucket after Beno Udrih corralled his own miss.

An O'Neal free throw made it a five-point game with just over two minutes left, but Rashad McCants rose over Grant Hill and hit a huge jumper from the elbow as the shot clock was winding down on the next possession.

Nash kept the Suns in it with a three to get within 123-118 with 1:23 to go, but it proved to be their last field goal, putting the club's playoff hopes on life support.

Despite Hill's 13 first-quarter points the Suns trailed 35-33 after 12 minutes of play. Nash hit a trey to end the high-scoring half and cut the visitors' deficit to 70-64.

The Kings continued with the hot hand after the break, rattling off 10 straight points late in the third to take a healthy 99-85 lead. Udrih scored six during the stretch and his jumper capped it with 3 1/2 minutes to go in the frame.

Game Notes

Hill ended with 19 points and Jason Richardson checked in with 16 for Phoenix, which made just 16-of-28 at the foul line, where the Kings went 21-of-27... Kevin Martin had 17 points, Udrih 16 and McCants 12 for Sacramento...The Suns next play at home against Houston on Wednesday.

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Elite 8 NCAA Tournament Betting at online sportsbook MySportsbook.com

In what should be an outstanding Saturday of March Madness betting action, the top four teams in the South and West Regions square off in what should be extremely close match-ups. Three of the four teams are coming off extremely close games on Thursday evening, only UCLA won semi comfortably over Pitt 64-55.

Ohio State is coming off their second game in a row where in all reality they should have lost. Of course that doesn’t matter now since the name of the game is “survive and advance” but as the tournament continues, they can’t afford to keep getting down to their opponents early. Kansas also avoided a scare by holding off a scrappy Southern Illinois squad. In the third thrilling game of the evening Memphis pulled off the minor upset (+3.5) despite being the higher seed to Texas A&M.

Although the spreads are fairly small for Saturday’s games, MySportsbook.com continue to bet against the underdogs. Despite OSU’s two scares, 86% of the “betting public” feels the Buckeyes (-1.5) have what it takes to make the Final Four. In fact, so much of the early money is on OSU that the line has already moved from -1 to -1.5. In the second game of the doubleheader, Kansas and their high-powered offense are 2 point favorites as they take on UCLA and their effective defense. About 63% of the early money thus far is once again backing the favorites. If those percentages stay that high, don’t be surprised if this line moves as well. If you like Kansas (-2) you might want to jump on it early.

Memphis vs. Ohio State

Both squads were involved in thrillers on Thursday evening and should come out fired up. OSU can ill afford to get behind early like they did versus their previous two opponents (Xavier, Tennessee). Greg Oden needs to stay out of foul trouble; the Buckeyes are a completely different team when he is on the court. Memphis definitely has the athleticism and length to match-up with OSU. Of Memphis’ five leading minute earners, the shortest of the bunch is 6’5”. Each team has a very effective defense; Memphis surrenders 62.3 PPG whereas the Buckeyes give up only 61 PPG. With those type of numbers, it isn’t surprising that Memphis covered the UNDER almost 69% of the time this season. As a favorite, OSU has covered the UNDER almost 66% of the time over the last three seasons. The major concern for Memphis which is magnifies this time of the year is their brutal foul shooting (62%). This season, OSU is 17-11 ATS versus teams with a winning record and 7-2 ATS in all tournament games. Memphis has been an extremely reliable cover in tournament play in recent years with a 23-8 ATS record over the last three seasons.

UCLA vs. Kansas

In the second game of Saturday’s doubleheader, UCLA will play in a role which they are very unfamiliar with that of the underdog. Only twice this season have they been getting points from the handicappers and both times they covered. Over the last three seasons UCLA is a reliable 23-7 ATS in this unfamiliar role. UCLA has not fared well against Big 12 opponents recently going 1-7 ATS since 1997. Giving up only 59.6 PPG, UCLA will definitely look to do what they do best: keep this game as low scoring as possible. Their defense has been especially tough during the tournament. UCLA opponents have been able to muster up only 48.7 PPG while shooting a combined 34.5% from the field. UCLA definitely has a challenge at hand with a Kansas team that is capable of putting points on the board in bunches. As a team, they average 79 PPG and shoot an impressive 49.6% from the field and 39.4% from beyond the arc. During the tournament Kansas has been “lights out” from the field having shot 56.2%.

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