The Houston Rockets (35-36) take on the visiting Utah Jazz (34-36) at the Toyota Center. The game starts at 8:00 pm ET on Wednesday, Mar. 23 and will air on RT and RSW.
The Rockets were beaten by the Thunder 111-107 on Tuesday. James Harden played well in the loss for Houston, recording 24 points and 16 assists to earn his 20th double-double of the season. The Jazz, meanwhile, are coming off a 94-85 win over the Bucks on Sunday. Rudy Gobert played well, posting 12 points and 14 rebounds to claim his 17th double-double of the season.
This game should be a battle of contrasting styles. The Rockets (ranked fourth in the league in possessions per game) prefer a fast-breaking style of play, while the Jazz (30th) are more half-court-oriented. The Jazz could also control the offensive glass in this matchup, as they rank third in the NBA in offensive rebound percentage at 26.5%. The Rockets, meanwhile, place near the bottom of the league (29th) on the defensive backboards with a defensive rebound percentage of 73.0%.
The Rockets have won two out of three against the Jazz this season, but dropped their most recent game, a close 117-114 loss. Gordon Hayward was a standout player in the game, producing 28 points, seven rebounds, five assists, one steal, and three three-pointers.
Notes
In games where they allow fewer than 100 points, the Utah Jazz are a winning 31-12. In games where they score fewer than 100 points, the Houston Rockets have a subpar record of 2-15.
When allowing 100 or more points in a game, the Jazz are just 3-24 this season. Houston is a solid 33-21 when registering triple digits.
The Rockets have a defensive rating of 106.9 (ranked 24th), while the Jazz rank 14th for their offensive rating of 103.9.
The Houston Rockets average a field goal percentage of 44.8% this season. The Utah Jazz have an underachieving record of 7-30 when opponents have a FG% of 44.8% or greater.
On average, the Houston Rockets attempt 31.0 three point field goals per game and the Utah Jazz attempt 23.0 per game. In games where they attempt at least 25 threes, Houston has a 30-31 record and Utah has a 14-15 record.
Houston has an assist to turnover ratio of 1.42 this season (ranked 26th), while Utah ranks lower at 28th with an A/TO of 1.32.
The Houston Rockets rebound 42.9 times per game and are ranked 20th. Ranked 18th, the Utah Jazz rebound 43.1 times per game.
The Utah Jazz rank ninth in offensive rebounding, while the Houston Rockets rank 26th in defensive rebounding.
Houston ranks third in forced turnovers with an average rate of 15.7%. Utah has an 18-17 record when they suffer a turnover rate equal to or exceeding this.
