The Sacramento Kings are going to make the Play-In Tournament — they’re 2.5 games ahead of the reeling Phoenix Suns and 4.5 games ahead of the Portland Trail Blazers — but what’s their ceiling beyond that? Sacramento is 4-4 since adding Zach LaVine in the De’Aaron Fox deal, and has a negative-0.1 net rating in that span. Blah.
LaVine’s arrival has also somewhat hurt the statistical ceiling of the Kings’ incumbent star, Domantas Sabonis. Since LaVine joined the team, Sabonis’ scoring is down to 16.6 points per game, although his rebounding prowess — 15.6 boards per game — has remained steady. In Sacramento’s most recent game, a 42-point win over the nauseatingly bad Charlotte Hornets, Sabonis was held to his first single-digit scoring performance of the season.
It should be a relatively easy matchup tonight, though, as the Kings take on the 14-43 Utah Jazz, who are tied with Charlotte for the league’s second-worst record. Cooper Flagg is surely already looking at real estate in Salt Lake City.
On DraftKings Sportsbook, Sacramento is a 10-point favorite and the total is set for 237.5. Below, I’ve highlighted my favorite Sabonis prop bets for those looking to get in on the action.
Best Domantas Sabonis Prop Bets on DraftKings Sportsbook
Both Domantas Sabonis and Isaiah Collier to Record 6+ Assists (+105)
While Sabonis’ rebounding — he’s led the league in the category each of the last three seasons — and three-point shooting have been major storylines in Sacramento this season, he remains one of the best passers ever to play the center position. He led the league with 26 triple-doubles last season, and his assist numbers — 6.3 per game — are still relatively high, even if they’re down from last season. He’s one of just three players this season, along with Nikola Jokić and Giannis Antetokounmpo, to average 20 points, 10 rebounds, and five assists per game. Sabonis has utilized his playmaking chops a little more in recent games, recording six or more assists in three of his last five games, and he shouldn’t have any trouble doing so again tonight against a Utah team that allows the third-most assists per game.
Meanwhile, the Jazz’s 29th overall pick, Isaiah Collier, has done one thing well — pass the ball. Among 22 rookies who have played at least 40 games this season, Collier ranks just 13th in scoring and has the third-worst effective field goal percentage, but he’s far and away the best rookie passer. He averages 6.0 assists per game, and the second-best playmaker is Washington’s Bub Carrington, who averages 3.9 dimes per contest. Since January 5, when he became Utah’s starter, he’s averaged 8.6 assists per game, including seven double-doubles, and he’s recorded fewer than six assists just three times as a starter.
Domantas Sabonis U19.5 Points (-120)
Since adding LaVine to the team, it hasn’t really been Sabonis’ responsibility to score. He has scored more than 20 points just three times in eight games since LaVine joined the roster, and two of them came against the New Orleans Pelicans, who have had the league’s third-worst defense this season. Yes, Utah has the worst defense, but I’m hesitant to bet on a high-scoring game from a guy who has had merely the seventh-highest usage rate on his own team over the last eight games. Plus, the Jazz haven’t been quite as bad at preventing points in the paint and second-chance points — two areas where Sabonis thrives — as a team like New Orleans has been.
Plus, the list of players who are out for Utah is lengthy, especially for a game so recently after the All-Star Break — John Collins, Taylor Hendricks, Lauri Markkanen, and Collin Sexton. Combined, those players average 60.7 points per game. If a fully healthy Charlotte team, minus Mark Williams, could lose by 42 points to the Kings on Monday, I’m positive that an injury-decimated Jazz team can. Sabonis retired to the bench for good with two minutes, 34 seconds remaining in the third quarter in that game, and I wouldn’t be surprised if he takes a seat early tonight as well.
