Sacramento Kings AT Utah Jazz
Mar 5, 2011 at 9 PM EST
Opening Line:  Utah -8.5
Current Line: Utah -7
Opening Total: 206
Current Total: 208
Opening Moneyline:  Uta -335 / Sac +285
Current Moneyline:  Uta -320 / Sac +260

The Jazz are making franchise history, or at least recent history, for how bad they have been at home.  They’ve now dropped 7 straight at the Delta Center for the worst home losing streak since 1982.  They’ve fallen to tenth in the Western Conference.

Corbin wasn’t discouraged after a narrow loss to Denver.  “We got a lot of ball left to play, (Thursday) is a prime example – as long as there’s some time on the clock, you still have a chance to win the game,” Corbin commented. “We never quit on the game, and as long as we don’t do that, don’t quit on each other, we got a chance to work our way out of this thing.”

The Jazz are 1-6 since Sloan quit, and it is clear that a good era has come to an end.  Corbin may or may not be a decent coach, but he’s no Jerry Sloan, and the Jazz are going to hurt until they land another big name coach, which may not happen any time soon.

Some betting trends:

Sacramento is 2-6 ATS in their last 8 games and the total has gone OVER in 8 of Sacramento’s last 9 games.  Sacramento is 3-11 SU in their last 14 games and they are 1-5 SU in their last 6 games on the road.  Sacramento is 1-5 ATS in their last 6 road games and the total has gone OVER in all 5 of their last 5 road games.  The total has gone UNDER in 4 of the last 6 games against Utah and Sacramento is 2-7 SU in their last 9 against Utah.  Sacramento is 1-6 SU in their last 7 road games against Utah and the total has gone UNDER in 4 of Sacramento’s last 5 games againts Utah.

Utah is 1-5 ATS in their last 6 games and the total has gone UNDER in 6 of Utah’s last 9 games.  Utah is 1-8 SU in their last 9 games and 0-5 SU in their last 5 at home.  Utah is 0-5 ATS in their last 5 at home and the total has gone UNDER in 4 of their last 5 at home.  The total has gone UNDER in 4 of the last 6 against Sacramento.  Utah is 7-2 SU in their last 9 against Sacramento and they are 2-4 ATS in their last 6 games against the Kings.  The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Utah’s last 5 games at home against the Kings and Utah is 6-1 SU in their last 7 at home against Sacramento.  Utah is 8-16 ATS in their last 24 at home against the Sacramento Kings.

Key Matchups:

DeMarcus Cousins vs.  Al Jefferson

Both of these players are somewhat similar.  They are not outstanding athletes, but are decent athletes, and both are very skilled and have good hands and good touch around the basket.  Al Jefferson is actually probably a best case scenario for DeMarcus Cousins in terms of impact, though some project Cousins as an even better prospect.  Cousins has to find a way to cut down on his turnovers.  He’s averaging an astounding 3 turnovers in 27 minutes a game and his field goal percentage is anemic for a big too, at 42.9%  He’s for sure a work in progress, but the Kings feel that along with Tyreke Evans, they have the core of what could be an imposing team down the line.  Al Jefferson’s numbers are nowhere near what they were his first two years in Minnesota (07-08 & 08-09), but he’s still solid with 18 points per game and 9.2 boards.  Prior to last game he had a 6 game streak of 20+ point games and other than a 4 point stinker against the Suns, he has had 19 or more in 13 of his last 14 games.

Jason Thompson vs. Paul Millsap

Thompson looked so promising last year, when he played in excess of 31 minutes a game and scored 12.5 points per game while coralling 8.5 rebounds per contest, but his minutes and production have both dipped this year, somewhat inexplicably.  He’s only had 1 double double in his last 16 games and he has only shot 10 shots or more in 3 of his last 12 games.  It’s difficult to score in double figures when attempting that few shots.  Millsap has been great at times this year, but at other times quite average.  He’s still forging his way as a starter in the NBA, but has had his moments, like his 46 point game against the Heat earlier this season.   He has scored 20 or more in 3 of his last 6 games and had a 34 point outing against Oklahoma City on February 5th.  He must look to exploit Thompson on the offensive end.  He’s quicker and has more moves around the hoop that he can use on the youngster.

Utah is expected to pull out of their funk at home tonight.  Sacramento is just the team they needed to encounter to snap the losing streak, as Sacramento without Tyreke Evans is pretty hapless.