UFC 177 comes our way from Sacramento this weekend and features a rematch between TJ Dillashaw and Renan Barao – maybe the only two fighters you’ve ever heard of. Truth be told the card seriously lacks star power and looks, on paper more like a UFC Fight Night card. Cappers Picks provides free UFC handicapping tips for every event on the UFC fight calender. Our man Dave B has your back.
The Sacramento Kings will make the trip north of the border to the Air Canada Centre for a date with the Toronto Raptors on Friday. The Kings come to town having followed up three consecutive losses with back-to-back wins, while the Raptors have won seven of their last nine games.
The Sacramento Kings will make the trip over to Bankers Life Fieldhouse on Tuesday evening to take on the Indiana Pacers.
The Portland Trail Blazers and Sacramento Kings have already faced off twice during the 2013-14 NBA season, and they’re set to face off again Tuesday, Jan. 7.
Portland (26-8) at Sacramento (10-22)
Tuesday, Jan. 7 10:00 p.m. ET at Sleep Train Arena
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ATS Matchup Insight | CP Insider Gambling Preview
On the year, Portland has won the series 2-0. The team from the Pacific Northwest has won both games by an average margin of 12 points per contest, but Sacramento will look to make the third matchup a charm.
The Trail Blazers have been brilliant this season, but they’re coming off of a week that saw them go 2-2, losing twice in dramatic fashion. To the team’s credit, it did pull out a comeback win against the Oklahoma City Thunder, while also blowing out the Charlotte Bobcats; but two last-second losses to the New Orleans Pelicans and Philadelphia 76ers have brought to light that this team is indeed mortal, and it can indeed lose games in the clutch.
If all goes according to plan, Portland won’t have to worry about performing in crunch time. It’s something it has done well almost all season, but the goal here is to win big despite being on the road.
The last time these two teams met, Rudy Gay was still with the Toronto Raptors. Additionally, Isaiah Thomas hadn’t quite broken onto the scene, and while the team knows it has to contain DeMarcus Cousins, these two could be big-time difference makers.
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If Portland sticks to its regular defensive schemes, look for Cousins to have a big game. The Blazers haven’t double teamed bigs all season long, instead opting to give up points down low in an effort to better defend the three-point line.
Speaking of defending the three-point line, that’s exactly what Sacramento will have to do to keep up in this one. Despite being underdogs, the Philadelphia 76ers held Portland under 100 points (the Blazers entered that game as the No. 1 scoring team in the NBA) by making them look downright awful from long range. The Kings are the second-worst team in the Association at defending the three-point line (they’re also the second-worst team in terms of points allowed), which is going to be a problem come Tuesday.
Cousins will be slated to have a big game, but if anyone else is going to join him, look for it to be Thomas. The point guard will be going up against Damian Lillard, and while he’ll be forced to expend a ton of energy on defense, the offensive end is where he’ll take advantage of a young point guard who is less focused on defensive production.
Despite having home-court advantage, look for the Blazers to bounce back following their loss. They know that sustaining success means winning the winnable games, and this qualifies as one of those contests. Expect a good showing from Portland, taking away the idea of a crunch time showing when it’s all said and done.
Prediction: Portland 107 – Sacramento 95
The Sacramento Kings will look for their first win in five years against the visiting Atlanta Hawks in a Tuesday night NBA showdown at the Sleep Train Arena.
The Houston Rockets are coming off a huge win at Staples Center in Los Angeles against the Lakers Friday night.
Minnesota is still trying to remember the time, not that long ago, when they were the darlings of the Western Conference. With point guard Ricky Rubio deftly dishing the ball they were firmly in the playoff picture.
The New Jersey Nets will be arriving in Sacramento for the second game of a back to back.
San Antonio just continues to hum along despite being one of the oldest teams in the NBA.
The Sacramento Kings had been on their best run of the year, winning three in a row before falling to Utah Thursday night. The last time these two teams hooked up Sacramento got rolled losing by 26 points and Golden State holds the advantage on the season 2-1.
Memphis had a great run in the postseason last year. The team started slowly this year, but they have rebounded nicely to get to 25-18 on the season.
Kevin Durant and the Oklahoma City Thunder have pulled out two straight come from behind wins on the West Coast.
New Orleans Hornets (32-22 SU, 23-29-2 ATS) at Sacramento Kings (12-45 SU, 26-31 ATS)
BetUS NBA Betting Odds: NEW ORLEANS -7.5, Total 203
Here are some of the NBA sports betting trends as they relate to this matchup:
* NO has covered two of its last six games
* NO has lost four of its last six games SU
BetUS NBA Basketball Betting Odds: PHOENIX -13.5, Total 224.5
Here are some of the NBA pro basketball sports betting trends as they relate to this matchup:
* SAC has covered three of its last nine games
* SAC has lost eight of its last nine games SU
