The Sacramento Kings (13-30) look to snap their five-game losing streak when they go head-to-head against the Utah Jazz (17-26) at Golden 1 Center. The game can be seen on NBC Sports – California at 10 p.m. ET on Wednesday, January 17, 2018.
Utah is a 3.5-point favorite on the opening line, while the game’s Over/Under (O/U) opened at 201.5 points.
Utah Jazz vs. Sacramento Kings Free Prediction
The Jazz are trying to rebound after their 109-94 loss to the Indiana Pacers in their last game. Indiana’s 0.623 effective field goal percentage was their biggest strength over Utah, who had a mark of 0.500. The Pacers’ mark was above their season average of 0.537. Donovan Mitchell led Utah in scoring with 23 points on 8-for-16 shooting.
In the Kings’ last matchup, they were beaten by the Oklahoma City Thunder, 95-88. Oklahoma City won the rebounding battle. The Thunder had more offensive rebounds (18 vs. six), defensive rebounds (40 vs. 31) and total rebounds (58 vs. 37). With 16 points on 6-for-15 shooting, Buddy Hield led Sacramento in scoring.
Half-court execution will be at a premium when a pair of the NBA’s slowest-paced teams clash. Sacramento ranks 25th in possessions per game (97.2) and Utah is 28th (96.5).
Utah heads into the game with records of 17-26 straight up (SU) and 21-22 against the spread (ATS). A little over half of the Jazz’s games have finished under the total.
Meanwhile, Sacramento owns records of 13-30 SU and 17-23-3 ATS. Unlike Utah, just over half of Kings games have finished over the O/U total.
Both teams have had a player take their game to the next level over their last five games. Mitchell (23.4 points and 1.2 steals) has been fantastic for the Jazz while Bogdan Bogdanovic (16.2 points and 4.2 assists) has made great contributions to the Kings.
After the Jazz won three out of four contests against the Kings last season, these teams will battle for the first time this year. In the most recent contest, Utah won 112-82. The Jazz had a much better offensive rebounding percentage (18.9 vs. 5.3) and had a much better effective field goal percentage (0.614 vs. 0.467).
Utah Jazz vs. Sacramento Kings Odds Pick
Predictions: SU Winner – Kings, ATS Winner – Kings, O/U – Over
Notes
Betting Notes:
Utah is 8-14 ATS on the road with 12 overs, 9 unders and 1 push.
At home, Sacramento is 9-11 ATS with 11 overs and 9 unders.
Utah is 10-4 when they hold opponents below 100 points, while Sacramento is 8-4.
When scoring over 100 points, the Jazz are 15-10 and the Kings are 9-9.
Utah ranks eighth in three pointers attempted per game (30.3) while Sacramento ranks 29th (22.6).
The Jazz rank fourth in assists allowed per game (20.3) while the Kings rank 25th (24.2).
Utah averages 9.2 steals per game, which ranks second in the league. Sacramento ranks 18th in steals allowed per game (8.1).
The Jazz rank fourth in fast break points allowed per game (9.4) while the Kings rank 18th (12.0).
Utah ranks 12th in points off turnovers per game (17.0) while Sacramento ranks 25th (14.9).
The Jazz rank 15th in blocks per game (4.7) while the Kings rank 26th (4.0).
Sacramento ranks 18th in points in the paint per game (43.0) while Utah ranks 25th (41.4).
The Kings rank 21st in second chance points per game (11.6) while the Jazz rank 26th (10.4).
Neither of these teams are great at rebounding the ball. Utah is 26th in the league with 40.8 rebounds per game while Sacramento is 28th with 40.2 rebounds per game.
Bettings Trends:
In their last five games, Utah is 2-3 ATS with 3 unders and 2 overs.
Sacramento is 1-4 ATS with 3 overs and 2 unders over their last five games.
The Jazz’s average margin of defeat in their last five games has been 6.4, up from 1.3 for the season.
During their last five games, the Kings have scored an average of 98.8 points per game (1.1 above their season average) and allowed an average of 109.6 points per game (3.0 above their season average).
