Kings Vs. Jazz Watch Guide: Lineups, Injury Report, Player Usage

The race to .500 is on. With a win over the Cavs on Thursday night, the Kings need two more wins in their final three games to finish at 41-41 on the season. They'll draw a tough Utah Jazz team on the second night of a back-to-back and they'll do so shorthanded.

Sacramento toyed with the Cavaliers and then ran over the visiting team in the fourth quarter. Buddy Hield knocked down five 3-pointers and now needs just five more to match Damian Lillard's NBA record of 599 made triples through the first three years in the league.

[RELATED: How to watch Kings-Jazz online and on MyTeams app]

Utah is rolling through their late-season schedule, despite dealing with plenty of injuries. They've rattled off six straight wins and currently sit in the fifth spot in the Western Conference standings.

Kings Pregame Live on NBC Sports California begins at 5:30 p.m., with tipoff scheduled for 6:00 p.m. All coverage can be seen on the MyTeams by NBC Sports app.

The Kings return home following the game where they'll play the New Orleans Pelicans. They'll finish the season with one last road trip to Portland to face the Trail Blazers on Wednesday.

Line

Jazz by 10

Projected Lineups

Kings
PG De'Aaron Fox
SG Buddy Hield
SF Harrison Barnes
PF Nemanja Bjelica
C Kosta Koufos

Jazz
PG Donovan Mitchell
SG Joe Ingles
SF Thabo Sefolosha
PF Royce O'Neale
C Rudy Gobert

Injury Report

Kings 
C Harry Giles (thigh bruise) and C Willie Cauley-Stein (personal) are out. Corey Brewer (groin) is questionable.

Jazz
PF Derrick Favors (back), PG Dante Exum (knee) and SG Kyle Korver (knee) are out. PG Ricky Rubio (hamstring) and PG Raul Neto (ankle) are questionable.

Rotation Outlook

Kings

Willie Cauley-Stein is away from the team due to personal reasons. The fourth-year big has started all 79 games for the Kings this season. With the 7-foot-1 Gobert starting for Utah, it's likely that veteran Kosta Koufos will pick up a start for the Kings.

Bogdan Bogdanovic continued his late-season surge against the Cavs. The second-year shooting guard posted 18 points, five assists and four rebounds in 27 minutes in the win over Cleveland and has now scored in double-figures in seven straight games for the Kings.

Marvin Bagley III is also making a late-season push. Despite playing just 21 minutes against Cleveland, the 20-year-old big still managed to finish with 15 points and eight rebounds. He should be fresh for the matchup against Utah.

Jazz

Quin Snyder has his team on a hot streak entering the postseason, but they are banged up.

Utah has the 18th-highest scoring offense, dropping in 111.3 points per game on the year. They are one of the best defensive clubs, giving up just 106.0 points per game, which is good enough for fourth in the NBA.

[RELATED: Kings set new goal of finishing season over .500, with playoff hopes over]

The Jazz rank in the top 10 in rebounding, assists, blocks, 3-point makes and free throw attempts. Mitchell does a great job of breaking down defenses and they can really shoot the ball from the perimeter.

This is a well-disciplined team that is peaking at the right moment.

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