The Houston Rockets (55-26) welcome the Utah Jazz (38-43) to the Toyota Center to the regular season comes to an end. The game starts at 8:00 pm ET on Wednesday, Apr. 15 and will air on ROOT-NW and ROOT-SW.
The Rockets were victorious over the Hornets 100-90 on Monday. James Harden was the game’s high scorer with 29 points on 7-for-20 shooting. The Jazz, meanwhile, are coming off a 109-92 win over the Mavericks on Monday. Rudy Gobert had a good game, accumulating 20 points and 17 rebounds to claim his 25th 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. It could also be an error-filled game for the offense of the Jazz, which ranks 26th in ball security (turnover percentage of 15.3%). They’ll be going up against the ball-hawking defense of the Rockets, which forces the fifth-most turnovers in the NBA (15.6%).
The Rockets have won two out of three against the Jazz this season, but dropped their most recent game, a 109-91 blowout. Gobert played a big role with 19 points and 22 rebounds.
The odds are even for this game and the Over/Under (O/U) is currently unavailable. The Rockets are attempting to build on their records of 55-26 Straight Up (SU) and 47-34 Against The Spread (ATS). They have gone 32-19 SU and 29-22 ATS against teams from the Western Conference. Teams really have to fight for open three-pointers against the Rockets, who have the best opponent three-point field goal percentage in the league at .324. The Rockets are third in the league in steals with 9.5 per game. If its opponents turn the ball over, Houston has shown that it knows how to capitalize. They average 18.9 points off turnovers, making them the fourth-best team in the league for that category.
Across the court, Utah has a SU record of 38-43 and an ATS record of 45-34-2. Most recently, Utah is 7-2-1 ATS over the last 10 games. Utah is one of the better offensive rebounding teams in the NBA. The Jazz average 12.0 offensive rebounds per game, making them the fourth-best team in the league for that category. Switching gears to Utah’s defense, it averages 6.0 blocks per game, good for third in the league. Utah may be taking trips to the free throw line early and often with the Rockets averaging 22.0 fouls per game, one of the highest marks in the NBA.
Utah beat Houston in their most recent meeting this season, but the Rockets still lead the head-to-head record, 7-3 SU, over the last 10 matchups. The Rockets also hold the advantage ATS with a record of 6-4. Houston topped the Jazz in three key areas (field goals, rebounds, and three-pointers) three times over the last 10. Utah has had the edge in all categories twice.
Predictions: SU Winner – HOU, ATS Winner – HOU
Notes
Utah ranks 26th in points per game with 95.2, while Houston ranks 17th in points allowed with an average of 100.6 given up.
Utah scores an average of 94.0 points per away game (ranked 26th), while Houston allows 98.2 points per home game (ranked 16th).
The Utah Jazz have a solid 34-17 record when their opponents score fewer than 100 points this season. The Houston Rockets are 12-14 when they score less than 100.
When allowing 100 or more points in a game, the Jazz are just 4-26 this season. Houston is a superb 43-12 when registering triple digits.
The Jazz have an offensive rating of 102.7 (ranked 14th), while the Rockets rank seventh for their defensive rating of 100.7.
The Houston Rockets average a field goal percentage of 44.3% this season. The Utah Jazz have a subpar record of 9-35 when opponents have a FG% of 44.3% or greater.
Houston averages 32.7 three point attempts per game, and Utah attempts 21.7 per game. In games where the teams have 25 or more three point attempts, the Rockets have a winning 52-24 record while the Jazz have a 14-10 record.
The Houston Rockets rank 27th with an assist to turnover ratio of 1.39. The Utah Jazz have a higher A/TO (1.40), ranking 26th.
The Houston Rockets rebound 43.6 times per game and are ranked 15th. Ranked 11th, the Utah Jazz rebound 44.0 times per game.
The Utah Jazz rank fourth in offensive rebounding, while the Houston Rockets rank 20th in defensive rebounding.
Houston has forced one of the highest average turnover rates this season with 15.6% (ranked fifth). In games where their turnover rate is 15.6% or higher, Utah is an even 17-17.
