The Sacramento Kings will travel to EnergySolutions Arena to take on the Utah Jazz. Action begins at 9:00 pm ET on Wednesday, Apr. 8 and can be seen on CSN-CA and ROOT-NW.
Over the last five games, Rudy Gobert has taken his game to another level for the Jazz, averaging 13.2 points, 12.6 rebounds, 2.0 assists, 1.4 steals, and 2.4 blocks.
The Jazz lead the season series against the Kings two games to one, including a 101-95 win the last time these two teams met. Hood had a stellar game with 25 points, three rebounds, two assists, four steals, and one three-pointer.
The odds for Utah and Sacramento are even, while the Over/Under (O/U) is currently unavailable. The Jazz have gone 35-42 Straight Up (SU) and 42-34-1 Against The Spread (ATS). They are 20-27 SU and 26-20-1 ATS against the Western Conference. Opposing teams know they’re in for a battle when they play Utah’s stingy defense. The Jazz are the top team when it comes to defense, allowing a league-low 94.7 points per game. Opponents have consistently had their shots rejected by the Jazz, ranking third in the league in blocks per game with 6.0.
As for their opponent, the Kings have a record of 30-44-2 ATS and 26-50 SU. Against the Western Conference, Sacramento is 15-31 SU and 21-24-1 ATS.
In their previous meeting this season, Utah beat Sacramento, bumping its SU record to 6-4 over the Kings in their last 10 meetings. On the other hand, the Kings hold the advantage ATS with a record of 6-4. In these last 10 matchups, Utah held the edge in field goals, rebounds, and three-pointers three times, with Sacramento controlling all three of these areas one time.
Predictions: SU Winner – UTA, ATS Winner – UTA
Notes
Sacramento ranks 11th in points allowed per road game (107.5 PPG), while Utah ranks 27th in points per home game with 96.0.
In games where they allow fewer than 100 points, the Utah Jazz are a solid 32-16. In games where they fail to hit triple digits, the Sacramento Kings have a subpar record of 5-28.
Utah is an abysmal 3-26 when it allows 100 or more points. Sacramento has a 21-22 record when it hits the century mark.
The Kings have a defensive rating of 105.7 (ranked 27th). The Jazz rank 15th for their offensive rating of 102.3.
Utah averages fewer possessions per game than Sacramento, with 92.6 compared to 99.2. However, the Jazz score an average of 1.023 points per possession, more than the 1.017 that the Kings score.
The Utah Jazz average an effective field goal percentage of 49.3% this season. The Sacramento Kings have an underachieving record of 5-41 when opponents have an EFF% of 49.3% or greater.
Both falling in the bottom third of the league, the Sacramento Kings make 20.1 assists per game (ranked 28th) and the Utah Jazz make 19.8 (ranked last).
Utah, the third-ranked team in terms of blocking, makes an average of 6.0 blocks per game. Sacramento ranks lower at 27th with 3.9.
Utah ranks among the best in the league in offensive rebounding at fourth, while Sacramento is a top-10 team in defensive rebounding (ranked ninth).
The Utah Jazz average 7.6 steals per game. When giving up 7 or more steals, the Sacramento Kings have a poor record (17-41) this season.
