NBA: Rockets see Kings as pains, Nuggets challenge Warriors, Frank picks ‘em

Rockets (-5.5) @ Kings (226.5)
Pick: Kings +5.5
We mentioned in our game picks yesterday that certain lottery teams seem to find new life at the end of the season and that’s been the case with the Mavericks recently. Dallas was an easy winner for us last night beating the Sixers by 20. The Kings look like another lottery team that’s more interested in finishing strong than accumulating more ping-pong ball combinations. Sacramento is coming off a road win in San Antonio and held a two-point lead in Houston after three quarters in the game prior. Buddy Hield, De’Aaron Fox and company get the Rockets again tonight. Houston blew out the Kings the first two times but we think the gutsy effort from Sacramento last week against the Rockets followed by the Spurs win was a sign of a renewed commitment from the Kings to end on a high note. What better way to keep the momentum rolling than to salvage a game in the season series against one of the powerhouses in the West? Sacramento comes into the game a league-best 24-13 ATS at home. Houston has struggled to cover numbers on the road coming in at 15-22 ATS in away games. Only Indiana and Washington are worse against the number on the road than the Rockets. The Kings are competing and that’s all we need to know to take the points here.

Nuggets (+8) @ Warriors (219)
Pick: Nuggets +8
It’s the biggest game on the NBA card tonight as Golden State can essentially lock up the top seed in the West with a victory against Denver. Despite entering 7-3 in their last 10 games, the Nuggets are coming in off a perplexing 95-90 home loss against the Washington Wizards. We’re not putting as much stock into the Nuggets 3-7 ATS run in those 10 games however as this eight-point spread is the largest underdog role Denver has been in all season. The Nuggets picked up an early-season win against the Warriors back in late October, but the two games the teams have played in 2019 so far have been runaway victories for the two-time reigning champs. That said, the race has dragged on longer than certainly many experts expected so perhaps there’s another wrinkle here. Besides, are the Warriors and their 14-23 ATS record at home really to be trusted for a third straight convincing win over their next closest competition in the standings out West? Denver might not win this game outright, but we’re certainly expecting it to be close.