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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Big 12 Conference betting odds

Work left to do: Texas Tech, Oklahoma State, Kansas State

Texas joins Texas A&M and Kansas as locks after getting league win No. 11. Texas Tech greatly helped its own hopes and crippled OK State's with the two-point win Saturday. Is K-State the last reasonable hopeful? Could be an elimination match in Stillwater on Tuesday, at least for the Cowboys.

Work left to do:

Texas Tech [18-11 (7-7), RPI: 44, SOS: 12] A critical two-point win over OK State leaves the Red Raiders with Baylor and at Iowa State left. Get both and the Red Raiders likely are good to go. Get one and there could be some interesting comparisons with a K-State team that could finish two or three games "ahead" of them in the standings but doesn't have any of the quality wins Texas Tech has. Not a lot in nonconference play (against Arkansas in Little Rock being the best win, by far) to lean on.

Oklahoma State [18-9 (5-8), RPI: 50, SOS: 35] Still without a road win, the Cowboys now need to win two on the road just to get to .500 in conference play. It's hard to recall a team (OK, other than Clemson) falling so precipitously from lock status to almost certainly out of the NCAAs at this point. There are wins to be had in the last three, including a very big home game against K-State on Tuesday, but this team is reeling. Can you tell the pressure to win is getting to them with the way the final possession played out at Texas Tech? There are some good nonconference performances to lean on, specifically beating Missouri State and Syracuse on neutral floors and Pitt in OK City, but if the Pokes don't right this very, very soon, that won't be enough.

Kansas State [20-9 (9-5), RPI: 56, SOS: 96] It pays to be in the Big 12 North. The nine league wins are Colorado (twice), Missouri (twice), Iowa State (twice), Baylor, Nebraska and (a good one against) Texas. That helps explain the middling computer profile. The win over USC is nice, but the nonconference leaves a lot to be desired. The game at OK State in Stillwater on Tuesday is huge, as it could KO the Cowboys and leave K-State with a home date against Oklahoma with which to work.