Sacramento at Utah

This is a tough matchup for the home team. Sacramento has a beast in DeMarcus Cousins, who continued his recent tear with 32 points and 12 rebounds against New Orleans for his fifth straight double-double and sixth in seven games. He is averaging 32.3 points, topping 30 points five times, and 12.8 rebounds during the past six games as he attempts to keep Sacramento close to Utah and Portland in the battle for the final playoff spot. Point guard Rajon Rondo had 17 points and 10 assists against New Orleans last night and is averaging 13.7 assists in the past six games. Cousins contributed 23 points, 12 rebounds and six assists as the Kings notched a 114-106 home win over the Jazz last month. Utah had to play last night, too, and got smoked at Portland in an 99-85 loss. The punishment Utah took on the boards against Portland is attributable to the continued absence of power forward Derrick Favors, who averages 16.8 points and 8.6 rebounds per game. He sat out his 11th consecutive game because of back issues. The Kings are 12-4-2 ATS in the last 18 meetings, including 6-1 ATS at Utah. Take Sacramento for the cover.