Utah Jazz at Sacramento Kings
Time: 9 PM CT (NBA TV)
Spread: SAC -2
Total: 205
Betting odds c/o Bovada
The Sacramento Kings were expected to be fighting for a playoff spot with the team it hosts tonight, the Utah Jazz.
Utah narrowly missed the postseason last year and Sacramento was nowhere even close, but the thought was that bringing in George Karl could get this team to play something close to its talent level. That has not happened, but despite Sacramento’s struggles it is still a 2-point favorite against the 9-9 Jazz.
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Sacramento has not even been particularly good at home, with a 5-7 mark at Arco. The team is just 7-15 despite sporting a lineup with three All-Stars in it, while also boasting the league leader in assists at the point guard slot, in Rajon Rondo. The Kings have still lost three straight, and while it was in both the Houston and OKC games, the Kings have not been lucky in close affairs. And it goes without saying that luck is playing no role.
The Kings are still very much a dysfunctional team and one must figure that this could be the trade deadline at which DeMarcus Cousins is finally dealt. His talents are undeniable, but some are quick to throw the “team cancer” label on the former Kentucky Wildcat. Numerically, Cousins is having a great year: 25.2 points, 10.5 rebounds and 2.7 assists per game, posting a PER well above the league average (15) of 23.1.
Over the past three games, Cousins has been abysmal though. He has shot just 13 of 53 (24 percent) and he fouled out of the Houston game after having shot 4 of 16 with three turnovers in the game. When a team’s leading scorer and star player is playing that bad, it will result in losses, without exception.
The Kings have some good depth at the guard spots, but really no major talents backing up Cousins. Kosta Koufos is a passable NBA center, but not much more can be said for him. Rudy Gay is an inefficient scorer, but a scorer nevertheless. Perhaps the best thing the Kings have going for itself is the backcourt of Darren Collison and Rondo. The tandem combines for 25.8 points, 8.6 rebounds and 15 assists, the motor and driving force behind any potential turnaround for Sacto.
Utah has won three of its past five, and last defeated the Pacers 122-119. While star center Rudy Gobert has been on the shelf, the Jazz have kept fighting. Its defense is considerably weakened without the shot swatting Gobert, but Utah has been good offensively, perhaps surprisingly so. Gobert has a grade II sprain in his left knee and no time table has been set for his return.
That compounds the loss of second-year guard Dante Exum who tore his ACL and is not returning this season. In other words, Utah would be far better than its 9-9 mark with a healthy contingent of players.
Swingman Gordon Hayward is proving himself to be worthy of the max-contract he received, and he is posting 18 points, five rebounds and three assists per game while playing a team-high 35.6 minutes per contest.
Derrick Favors has really blossomed over the last two-plus seasons and now has established himself as a premier big man. He leads Utah in PER (26.4) while ranking second in scoring with 17.5 points per game, to go along with nine rebounds and over three steals/blocks per game.
The Jazz are able to coax good scoring production from its backcourt, too, with Alec Burks, Rodney Hood and Trey Burke all averaging double figures. Raul Neto has paltry stats but has done a good job of controlling pace and running the offense, allowing Burke to fill a more sixth man type of role for Utah.
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