Utah Jazz vs. Sacramento Kings: Keys to the Game

As the Utah Jazz prepare to host a mediocre Sacramento Kings team, they should be in a great position to win the game as long as they don’t get caught napping.

After a disappointing loss to the Golden State Warriors on Thursday night in which the wounded Utah Jazz put up one heck of a fight, they’ll look to rebound on Saturday as they take on the much less daunting Sacramento Kings.

Sacramento, who comes into the game with an 8-13 record, has had its struggles so far on the season. There’s plenty of talent on the team in the likes of DeMarcus Cousins and Rudy Gay, but the Kings once again are failing to be a consistent threat.

Thus as the Jazz will be hosting the Kings in their third game of a five-game home stand, they should have an excellent chance of coming away with a win regardless of who they have available on the floor. While it’s been tough having so many key guys out, Utah’s reserves proved against the Warriors that they are capable of competing even with the very best.

Nevertheless, it would sure be nice to have the Jazz starters back in action. While George Hill and Derrick Favors have already been announced as out for Saturday’s contest, the good news is that Gordon Hayward‘s status has been upgraded all the way to probable and Rodney Hood is questionable, which doesn’t tell us much but is certainly better than already being ruled out.

.@UofUHealthCare Update

PROBABLE
Hayward -finger

QUESTIONABLE
Hood -hamstring strain

OUT
Favors -knee contusion
Hill -sprained big toe)"

— Utah Jazz (@utahjazz) December 10, 2016

And against a Kings team that has been less than spectacular this season, putting up average or below average figures across the board (with exception to Cousins’ individual performances), the presence of Hayward and Hood should be enough to propel the Jazz to victory, especially given how well they’ve been playing of late.

Prior to the seven-point loss to the Warriors, the Jazz had won seven of their previous eight games. And though they’ve been obviously riddled with injuries, Rudy Gobert has been their lone starter to appear in each contest this year and has been a monster for this Jazz team. He’s had two straight 20-point games and has logged double-figure rebounds in nine straight contests.

If he can keep up his impressive streak on both ends of the floor while benefiting from the potential returns of Hayward and Hill, the Jazz should have enough firepower to overcome a mediocre Kings team, especially if they can excel in these important areas.

Key Match-up – Rudy Gobert and DeMarcus Cousins

Despite the controversy surrounding DeMarcus Cousins and his enigmatic behavior on the court, there is no denying that he is a definite star in this league. He’s currently averaging 28.8 points per game and 10.7 rebounds. Cousins has also added a more consistent three-point shot to his offensive repertoire where he’s shooting an impressive 39.6 percent.

And while Rudy Gobert is typically an exceptional defender, he is going to be tested against Cousins who not only can stretch the floor and force Rudy out of his comfort zone of defending at the rim, but is also a bully in the paint and certainly has a strength advantage on Gobert.

Mar 13, 2016; Sacramento, CA, USA; Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert (27) is defended by Sacramento Kings center DeMarcus Cousins (15) during an NBA game at Sleep Train Arena. The Jazz defeated the Kings 108-99. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

The Stifle Tower will have to be at his absolute best on defense if he is going to slow down Sacramento’s star. He’s currently averaging a career-high 2.6 blocks per game and continues to be one of the league’s premier rim protectors.

His current stat line of 11.6 points and 11.5 rebounds is extremely impressive and right about where the Jazz need him to be. If he can continue to play at that level, he could very well find himself frustrating Cousins to win this match-up in tonight’s game and over the long-term, solidify himself as one of the best centers in the NBA.

Key Stat – Rebounds

Despite having an elite rebounder in DeMarcus Cousins on their team, the Sacramento Kings have not been a very strong rebounding team as they rank just 24th in the league at 42.4 per game. The Jazz totals haven’t been any better, unfortunately, as they rank 27th in the league at 42.2 per contest.

However, the one positive when looking at Utah’s rebounding figures is that they do hold a positive rebounding differential over the course of the season, albeit a narrow one of +0.7. The Kings on the other hand are on the negative side of that spectrum as opponents are outrebounding them by 0.4 rebounds per contest.

Jan 14, 2016; Salt Lake City, UT, USA; Utah Jazz forward Trey Lyles (41) dunks the ball over Sacramento Kings center DeMarcus Cousins (15) in the second quarter at Vivint Smart Home Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Swinger-USA TODAY Sports

Utah’s low rebounding total has a lot to do with their slow pace, so it’s reassuring to know that they while the number of rebounds they put up each game is comparatively low, they’re causing opponents to grab even less boards on a nightly basis.

It’s interesting to note that Utah has done relatively well on the defensive boards as they’re averaging nearly three more defensive rebounds per games than their opponents. However it’s on the offensive end where the Jazz have struggled. Their opponents are grabbing nearly two more offensive rebounds per game in what has been a noticeable struggle.

Ironically enough, the Kings average the exact number of offensive rebounds that the Jazz have given up so far this year and with a guy like Cousins looming in the paint, the Kings obviously have the ability to do some major damage there.

Thus Utah will need to control the boards and prevent easy offensive rebounds if they are to take care of business against Sacramento.

Key Performer – Gordon Hayward

It’s been pretty hard to pick a key performer of late given that the Jazz have struggled so mightily with injuries and key guys have been last minute scratches quite frequently. While Rudy Gobert has been one of the main contributors in recent games, with Gordon Hayward listed as probable, I’m going to go ahead and trust that he’ll be active and slot him as the top performer for this game.

He’ll be matched up against solid players in the likes of Rudy Gay and Arron Afflalo, but so far this season Hayward has looked able to keep up with practically anybody. He’s brought his scoring average up to 23.1 points per game and each of the nine games before sitting out the contest against Golden State he scored at least 22 points and scored an average of 26.8.

Mar 13, 2016; Sacramento, CA, USA; Utah Jazz guard Gordon Hayward (20) dunks the ball against the Sacramento Kingsduring an NBA game at Sleep Train Arena. The Jazz defeated the Kings 108-99. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

He has also showed marked improvement from deep while aggressively attacking the rim as he’s put up double figure free throw attempts in four of his last six contests.

With so much going well for him of late, as long as the aggravated finger doesn’t hinder his shooting as much as it did when he first returned to action, he should be primed for a big game in which he carries this Jazz squad to victory.

Prediction – Jazz 91, Kings 84

In my predictions at the beginning of the week, I had slotted the Jazz to win by a margin of 91 to 84. With Utah still battling injuries, but likely to get Hayward and potentially Hood back in the rotation, I’m still comfortable selecting the Jazz as the winner while sticking with that same relatively narrow seven-point margin.

The Jazz struggled against the Kings last season, losing two of three contests, so even though this is a middling team, they’re still one that Utah can’t fall asleep on. Cousins can be a huge factor and his size and floor-stretching capabilities seem to fluster Gobert. Sacramento also has a number of streaky shooters that if they’re on, can be a dangerous bunch.