Monday night features two Western Conference teams that have provided fans with their fair share of surprises this season.
The Jazz started off the season as one of the hottest teams in basketball and while the bottom has fallen out a bit, they still find themselves in the thick of the Western Conference play-in race, a far cry from the pre-season expectations that they’d be competing for the top lottery odds.
The Kings, on the other hand, entered the season with an implied win total of 34.5. As of today, March 20, they have registered 43 wins and sit in second place in the West, trailing only the Denver Nuggets.
Both teams have a lot to play for on Monday, but the Kings find themselves in a more favorable position despite being the away team, and the odds indicate exactly that.
KINGS VS. JAZZ BETTING ODDS
| Kings | Jazz | |
| Spread | -5 | +5 |
| Moneyline | -240 | +196 |
| Over/Under | 238.5 |
*Lines Accurate at the time of publication
KINGS VS. JAZZ BEST BETS
Kings -5 (-110, FanDuel)
The Kings head into Salt Lake City as five-point road favorites, a clear indication of how much better the market thinks they are than the Jazz. It makes perfect sense, though, especially when looking at the season-long trend we’ve seen develop with the Kings on the road.
On the season, the Kings have the fourth-best record against the spread (ATS) overall (40-29-1), the second-best record ATS as the away team (23-12-0), and the third-best record ATS as an away favorite (12-5-0). With nearly a 71% cover rate as a road favorite, they’ve been a nearly-unstoppable force away from the beam.
The Jazz are also facing an uphill battle on Monday, as the team’s second-leading scorer, Jordan Clarkson, has been ruled out. On top of Clarkson’s absence, the team’s leading scorer, Lauri Markkanen, is listed as questionable and has a non-zero chance of missing this game.
Despite losing their last two games to the Kings by a combined three points, the fact that this team is so different than it was pre-deadline and how thin they could be on the wing tonight have me leaning in the Kings’ favor.
Risk: 1.1 units on FanDuel to win 1 unit (playable until -6.5).
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