De’Aaron Fox & the Sacramento Kings Face Rudy Gobert & the Utah Jazz

The Sacramento Kings aren’t necessarily out of playoff contention just yet. However, they’ll need to string together a few wins before they get into the top ten. Getting a win over a Western Conference rival would be a step in the right direction. The only problem is, taking on the Utah Jazz isn’t an easy task. Finding a way to stop Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert is very tough.

The Jazz, however, had a rough loss to the Dallas Mavericks a few nights ago. They also had a rough loss to the Pelicans not long ago. It’s clear that the Jazz have some consistency issues, and the Kings could exploit that. Obviously, the Jazz will come in as the favorites in this game, but by how much? More importantly, can they cover the spread?

Game Preview: Sacramento Kings at Utah Jazz March 12th

The Sacramento Kings have an impressive offense, but defense is a big problem. They rank 29th in the NBA in points allowed per game at 115.33. Allowing this many points is a recipe for disaster, and that’s exactly what’s happened this season. Facing the Utah Jazz with a defense this weak is a bigger problem. Especially since Donovan Mitchell is finally healthy for Utah.

The Jazz having Mitchell in the lineup with Gobert is exactly what they need to win this game. Gobert has an average field-goal percentage of 71%, one of the best in the NBA. This team has the ability to put up a lot of points against bad defenses. When they played the Houston Rockets, the worst defense in the NBA, Utah scored 132. However, they have their issues too.

Sacramento Kings at Utah Jazz Betting Prediction

The Jazz defense allowed the Houston Rockets to score 127 points against them. They came into the game as 15-point favorites and didn’t cover the spread because of defensive struggles. This is something that’s happened to the Utah Jazz in recent weeks. At the time of writing, the Jazz has gone 1-4 ATS in their last five games. This gives us very little confidence in Utah.

More than ten points will likely favor the Jazz in this game, which poses a problem. Neither of these teams has performed well against the spread this season. However, these two teams’ last time was in November of 2021. The Jazz were -7.5 and won the game 123-105. Because of this, and the fact the Jazz are at home, we’ll take the Jazz on Saturday.

Regarding the total, it’s important to note how these defenses have performed. The total was set at 221.5 in their last game, and it should be around the same amount on Saturday. We’d suggest taking the Jazz to cover the spread, with the total going over. 

• All odds are provided by Action247 Sportsbook and all odds are subject to change.
• All views expressed are my own. My picks are my own and not a guarantee, bet at your own risk.

* All odds provided by Action247 Sportsbook and all odds subject to change.
**All views expressed are my own. My picks are my own and are not a guarantee, bet at your own risk.