NBA Free
Pick | Jazz at Kings
The NBA’s
regular season will end on Sunday. There will be plenty of games that will have
no bearing on the playoffs or play-in tournament. Sacramento is still clinging
to a shred of hope in earning tenth-place and the final spot in the play-in
tournament.
That gives
the Kings some motivation on Sunday. There is also a possibility the Jazz may
need a win to keep the top seed in the West. That gives Utah some motivation as
well. Bettors have some motivation to play the total in this one.
UPDATED
NHL STANLEY CUP FUTURES
Game: Utah
Jazz (50-20, 39-30-1 ATS) at Sacramento Kings (31-38, 34-35 ATS)
When:
9:00 PM ET, Sunday, May 16, 2021
Where:
Golden 1 Center, Sacramento, California
Current
Line: OFF Total:
OFF
TV Coverage:
NBC Sports California
Recent
History
The Jazz
and Kings have played twice this season already. The Jazz, not surprisingly,
have won both games. After looking at past NBA
scores, they won at home in Utah on April 10 128-112 as an 11.5-point
favorite. A little over two weeks later on April 28, the Jazz won by 49,
154-105, in Sacramento.
There’s no
question the Jazz are the better team here. The bigger question is who will
actually step onto the floor and play on Sunday night?
Utah’s
Donovan Mitchell is out indefinitely. Mike Conley has missed some time recently
and could be held out. For Sacramento, it’s an even bigger mess.
De’Aaron
Fox, Marvin Bagley, Buddy Hield, and Harrison Barnes have been out for the
Kings recently. Fox is Sacramento’s leading scorer and has been out since April
23 when he tested positive for the coronavirus.
We were
spot-on with our last free one … go see our Hurricanes
at Panthers betting preview.
Some Help
of the Injured List
The good
news for the Kings is that Fox, who averages 25.2 points a game, could play on
Friday. If he does, he’d be good to go on Sunday. That’s a plus for the
Kings.
Bagley
(14.1 ppg, 7.4 rpg) and Barnes (16.1 ppg) were listed as doubtful for a
Thursday night game against Memphis. Hield (16.7 ppg) was listed as probable.
With their
top two scorers available, Sacramento should be able to keep pace with the Jazz
at least for a while.
Utah won’t
have Mitchell, but the rest of the lineup is pretty solid. That’s why the Jazz
are the top seed in the West. Utah is third in scoring and fourth in scoring
defense. The Jazz can put up points as well as prevent teams from scoring on
them.
When the
two teams played the first time, the game total was 229.5. The second time
around, the total went down to 221. Don’t expect a total lower than 220,
especially if Fox is back in the lineup for the Kings.
Have you
ever wondered how
to become a bookie?
Jazz at
Kings Free Pick
Utah has a
strong bench filled with players that can score. The Jazz lost two games in a
row prior to Thursday. Jordan Clarkson came off the bench to score 41 and 29
points in those games.
The bottom
line is that this is the last day of the regular season. Sacramento could have
a shot at making the play-in tournament. They also could have their leading
scorer back. Utah won’t want to lose which means they will have to score
points. Lots of them.
In four of
the Jazz’s last five games, the total has gone Over. This one will too.
NBA Free Pick:
OVER up to 229
Before you
go, we have a Cubs
at Tigers pick too, go check it out!
