Two struggling teams in the Western Conference face off on Friday night in an NBA Cup matchup.

Lauri Markkanen and the Utah Jazz are set as slight favorites at home – where they are 4-5 this season – against the Sacramento Kings and Zach LaVine.

The Kings are just 2-8 in their last 10 games and are a candidate to blow their roster up at the trade deadline this season. Domantas Sabonis – the team’s All-Star caliber center – is out of the lineup with a meniscus injury, leaving the Kings with even less elite offensive talent after LaVine and DeMar DeRozan.

Oddsmakers are giving the Jazz the edge in this matchup, but they’re currently on a four-game skid.

Let’s take a look at the odds, my favorite player prop and a prediction for this NBA Cup clash. 

Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook.

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Moneyline

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Kings Injury ReportJazz Injury ReportJazz Best NBA Prop Bet

Jazz guard Keyonte George has a solid matchup on Friday, as the Kings allow over 25 points per game to opposing point guards this season.

George’s prop is set at 21.5, but he’s averaging 23.4 points per game and has 22 or more points in nine games this season, including four or his last five matchups.

The Kings did hold George to just 18 points on 5-of-15 in his second game of the season, but the former first-round pick is taking a career-high in shots (16.7) and free throws (7.0) per game this season. I think he’s worth a look to hit his season average on Friday. 

Earlier today, I shared in my NBA Best Bets column – Peter’s Points – why I’m betting on Utah to win at home: 

The Utah Jazz have been a much better team at home than on the road this season, and I’m backing them to snap a four-game skid against the lowly Sacramento Kings on Friday.

Sacramento is just 5-14 this season, 2-8 on the road and 2-8 in its last 10 games heading into Friday’s matchup. The Kings are also without star center Domantas Sabonis (meniscus) in this game. 

The Jazz have a net rating of -7.2 this season, but that jumps to -0.1 at home. Utah is also 7-2 against the spread at home with an average scoring margin of -0.1 in those games.

The Kings have been awful on the road, posting a net rating of -9.7 while going 5-5 against the spread. They have a net rating of -10.7 overall this season. 

Both of these teams are bound for the basement in the Western Conference, but Utah has put together some impressive wins, beating the Chicago Bulls, Los Angeles Clippers and Phoenix Suns all at home.

I don’t mind taking the Jazz at this price on Friday. 

Pick: Jazz Moneyline (-130 at DraftKings)

Odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.

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Find Peter Dewey’s NBA betting record here (futures included). You can also follow my daily plays on  BetStamp here.

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