Kings vs. Jazz: NBA odds, Picks and Predictions
Kings vs. Jazz Odds
| Kings Odds | +4 |
| Jazz Odds | -4 |
| Over/Under | 243 |
| Date | Tue, Jan. 3 |
| Time | 9:00 p.m. |
| TV | NBCSC |
Tuesday night’s three-game NBA slate will conclude with a matchup between the Sacramento Kings and Utah Jazz at Vivint Arena. When these two teams met last Friday, Sacramento emerged victorious by a final score of 126-125. In the rematch, Jazz guard Collin Sexton has been ruled out, but Utah remains priced as 4-point home favorites on the spread, expecting them to get revenge for last week’s loss.
Sacramento Kings
The calm after the storm
Following a seven-game winning streak from November 9 to November 22, Sacramento has returned to being a mediocre basketball team – winning only 9-of-20 games since that point. In that span, the Kings rank 19th in Net Rating, ranking between 13th and 18th in both offensive and defensive efficiency.
Kings away from home
Similar to many teams around the league, Sacramento performs much better at home than they do on the road. During the first half of the season, this group is 11-7 on their home floor, but only 8-9 on the road, where they have been outscored by 1.8 points per 100 possessions. Notably, Sacramento’s leading scorer, De’Aaron Fox, is averaging only 22.4 points on 45.7% shooting on the road, compared to 24.3 points on 53.2% shooting at home this year.
Utah Jazz
Collin Sexton ruled out
Per Cleaning the Glass, the Jazz rank in the 94th percentile in offensive efficiency and the 10th percentile in defensive efficiency this season when Collin Sexton is on the floor. When Sexton is on the sidelines, Utah regresses to the 61st percentile in offensive efficiency, but improves to the 44th percentile in defensive efficiency. In last Friday’s matchup, Sexton scored nine points in 29 minutes of action off of the bench.
Who will benefit from Sexton’s absence?
Per CourtIQ, Kelly Olynyk is averaging 12.0 points, 5.4 rebounds, and 3.3 assists per 30 minutes of action this season when Sexton is off of the floor, creating a potential opportunity for bettors to target the over on his 20.5 market number for combined points-rebounds-and assists. In Sacramento’s last 19 games, they rank 19th in opponent field goal percentage, 22nd in opponent rebounds per game, and 24th in opponent assists per game. This is a favorable matchup for all of Utah’s core rotation players.
Kings vs. Jazz – Picks & Predictions
After combining for 251 points in their matchup last week, the market is understandably expecting another high-scoring affair between these two teams in the rematch. Yet, it is worth questioning whether or not the Kings and Jazz can both replicate their impressive shooting numbers from last week – a game in which both teams shot 54.8% or better from the floor. The absence of Sexton from Utah’s bench is likely to increase the defensive intensity slightly from their second unit, which is a strong contributing factor to the under for those looking for action here.
The main risk factor to be aware of in this spot is that both of these teams love to get out and run. On the season, Sacramento ranks 6th in the league in pace on the road and Utah ranks 5th in pace in home games. Nonetheless, the under is still the smart lean.
PICK: Under 243 (-110, Wynn)
Image Credit: Imagn