Sacramento at Phoenix

Preseason projections have the Kings being around .500. That makes them a better team than the Suns, who are looking like a bottom-five NBA squad after blowing things up following last season's disaster. Perhaps no team was more disappointing than the Suns, who could not even reach the play-in tournament. The ramifications of that epic failure led to the firing of Mike Budenholzer, the trading of Kevin Durant, and the buyout of Bradley Beal's contract. What's left for the Suns is Devin Booker, surrounded by a cast of not-ready-for-prime-time players. The Kings won't have three-time All-Star big man Domantas Sabonis because of a hamstring strain. But Sacramento still has too much firepower for Phoenix with Zach LaVine, DeMar DeRozan, Dennis Schröder, and recently acquired Russell Westbrook to shore up its backcourt bench, joining Malik Monk. Phoenix's roster lacks the proven track record that Sacramento's roster does. The Kings defeated the Suns in three of the four head-to-head matchups last season. Take the Kings.