Jazz vs. Kings expert prediction and odds for Sunday, March 31st (How to bet over/under)
By Reed Wallach
The Sacramento Kings season is in peril, down two key contributors for the remainder of the regular season in Kevin Huerter and Malik Monk.
However, the Kings will face the Utah Jazz, who have begun thinking about the offseason already, losers of 12 of 14 games in March. Can the Kings, on the losing end of two straight and now firmly in the Play-In Tournament conversation, get back on track and push for the No. 6 seed?
Despite injuries around the roster, the Kings are still massive favorites against the lowly Jazz but won’t have its star player Lauri Markkanen for this one. I’m not going to focus on the spread, but rather on the total.
Here’s how I see it:
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Jazz vs. Kings Odds, Spread and Total
Jazz vs. Kings How to Watch
- Date: Sunday, March 31st
- Game Time: 9:00 PM EST
- Venue: Golden 1 Center
- How to Watch (TV): NBC Sports California
- Jazz Record: 29-45
- Kings Record: 42-31
Jazz vs. Kings Injury Reports
Jazz Team Injury Report
- John Collins, Back, Questionable
- Lauri Markkanen, Shoulder, OUT
- Jordan Clarkson, Back, OUT
Kings Team Injury Report
- Sasha Vezenkov, Ankle, Questionable
- Trey Lyles, Knee, Questionable
- Malik Monk, Knee, OUT
- Kevin Huerter, Shoulder, OUT
Jazz vs. Kings Key Players to Watch
Utah Jazz
Collin Sexton: With the Jazz potentially shutting down Markkanen for the season, more pressure will fall on Sexton, who has taken advantage of the extra reps. Sexton is averaging over 22 points per game in March while dishing out six assists and shooting 52% from the floor. This has been Sexton’s best month of the season despite the team’s downturn in play.
Sacramento Kings
Domantas Sabonis: For the Kings to turn it around, the team needs to get more out of Sabonis from a scoring perspective. With no Huerter and Monk providing scoring from the wing, the center will need to up his average which has dropped to below 19 points per game in March while shooting 55% from the field. Can Sabonis find his footing against a struggling Jazz team?
Jazz vs. Kings Prediction and Pick
It’s tough to get a gauge on where the Kings are at, now down two pivotal rotation players, but I do know that we can count on a ton of possessions and plenty of points.
Utah plays at an above-average pace on the year and that hasn’t changed in March, but the defense has fallen off in a big way. The Jazz are last in terms of points allowed per 100 possessions this month, per NBA.com, and this can be a great opportunity for the team to build some momentum on the offensive side of the ball.
While I’m not sure what we’ll get from the Jazz offense, I’ll back the over here given the team’s recent totals. The Jazz are regularly lined in the 230’s and the Kings are a team that’s willing to push the pace, 12th in pace per NBA.com.
The Kings' defense is a below-average unit this season, so I’m not expecting a lockdown effort, even against a Jazz team that is short-handed, so I’ll target the over.
Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.
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