The Suns are hosting the Kings on Wednesday for the first game of the 2025-26 NBA season for both clubs. On DraftKings Sportsbook, Phoenix is favored by 4.5 points and this game carries a total of 228.5 points. Below, I’ll break down this matchup and provide a pick for the game.
Phoenix Suns vs. Sacramento Kings preview, prediction
The Suns and Kings are both coming off disappointing seasons, in which both clubs missed the playoffs. Phoenix finished 36-46 and 23rd in net rating, while Sacramento finished 40-42 and 15th in net rating. These teams met four times last season and the Kings went 3-1 in this season series.
After failing with Kevin Durant and Bradley Beal at the helm, the Suns decided to move on from both the veterans this offseason. Durant was traded to the Rockets in exchange for Jalen Green and Dillion Brooks, whereas Beal signed with the Clippers after Phoenix bought him out. Durant and Beal were two of the top-three scorers for the Suns last season, alongside Devin Booker and Green figures to be the team’s No.2 option behind Booker this season. However, Green’s Phoenix debut is currently on hold, as the guard is out tonight with a hamstring injury. This leaves Booker with a mammoth role as the Suns’ clear alpha and he should put up huge numbers against this Kings defense that ranked 22nd in rating last season.
In the eight starts Booker made without Durant and Beal last season, Booker led Phoenix with 29.3 points and 6.4 assists with a 31.1% usage rate. Unfortunately, Phoenix was just 1-7 in these games despite Booker’s heroics. While the guard should flourish Wednesday, the Suns severely lack real scoring threats outside of Booker. Brooks, Grayson Allen and Mark Williams are all solid role players rounding out Phoenix’s starting five, but they are inconsistent offensive threats. Not only will the Suns likely struggle to find scoring from everyone besides Booker, the team’s defense is likely to be a mess again, after Phoenix finished 27th in defensive rating last season.
The Kings’ offseason was less busy than the Suns, but Sacramento did add two veteran guards in Dennis Schroder and Russell Westbrook to help in the backcourt. The Kings have a solid roster overall, but they will be missing some notable pieces for this season opener, with Domantas Sabonis (hamstring) and Keegan Murray (thumb) both out. Missing two starters is obviously an issue, especially Sabonis, who is Sacramento’s best player and one of the most versatile bigs in the NBA. Last season, Sabonis averaged 19.1 points, 13.9 rebounds and 6.0 rebounds per game.
The Kings were just 4-8 with Sabonis inactive last season and they allowed 116.5 PPG in those contests. Drew Eubanks and Dario Saric will take over the minutes at center with Sabonis absent, which will make Sacramento very vulnerable in the paint. Offensively, Zach LaVine and DeMar DeRozan will be the focal points with Sabonis missing, and these players should have strong showings in this plus matchup, but overall, the Kings are going to suffer on both sides of the ball without Sabonis.
Suns vs. Kings pick, best bet
Both the Suns and Kings are missing key players tonight and while Sabonis is the most significant absence, Sacramento’s remaining roster is still slightly better than Phoenix’s roster sans Green. Booker is likely to go off, but as we saw last season, the guard operating as a one-man show doesn’t translate into much team success. As mentioned above, the Suns were just 1-7 in the games with Booker active, but Durant and Beal inactive.
The Kings were a better 4-8 with Sabonis out and Sacramento opening it’s season with a road win feels likely Wednesday. Backing the Kings for the upset on the moneyline is appealing, but if you want to take a safer route, Sacramento +4.5 is a great wager. When competing as a road underdog last season, the Kings were 12-9 ATS, whereas the Suns were weak at covering when favored at home, with a 10-16-1 ATS record in that situation.
