The Houston Rockets (1-0) meet the Utah Jazz (0-1) at Toyota Center in game two of the Western Conference Semifinals. The game gets underway at 8 p.m. ET on Wednesday, May 2, 2018.
The game’s Over/Under (O/U) has been set at 204.5 points with Houston opening as an 11.5-point favorite.
Utah Jazz at Houston Rockets ATS Prediction
In game one, Harden scored a game-high 41 points and the Rockets defeated the Jazz 110-96, covering as 11.5-point favorites. He also recorded eight rebounds and seven assists. The game finished with a total of 206 points, hitting the projected point total. The Rockets had a much better offensive rebounding percentage (20.5 vs. 14.6) and had a better free throw rate (0.232 vs. 0.171).
This battle pits one of the league’s top offenses against one of its elite defenses. Houston currently ranks first in offensive efficiency and Utah ranks first in defensive efficiency.
Utah comes into the contest with records of 52-37 straight up (SU) and 46-43 against the spread (ATS). Of the Jazz’s 89 games, 45 have finished under the total.
Meanwhile, Houston is 70-18 SU and 45-41-2 ATS. Rockets games have typically gone under the O/U total (55.7 percent).
Donovan Mitchell and Joe Ingles have played at a high level over the last five games for Utah. Mitchell has averaged 28.8 points, 6.6 rebounds and 1.4 steals per game. Not to be outdone, Ingles has put up 14.4 points and 3.6 assists a game during that span.
Utah Jazz vs. Houston Rockets Free Pick
Free NBA Tip: SU Winner – Jazz, ATS Winner – Jazz, O/U – Under
Notes
Betting Notes:
Utah is 22-23 ATS on the road with 24 overs, 19 unders and 2 pushes.
At home, Houston is 20-24-1 ATS with 24 unders, 20 overs and 1 push.
When holding opponents below 100 points, Utah is 37-7 and Houston is 34-3.
In games where they reach 100 points, the Rockets are 67-13 and the Jazz are 42-13.
Utah ranks second in points allowed in the paint per game (41.5) while Houston ranks 27th (48.1).
The Rockets rank fifth in steals per game (8.4) while the Jazz rank 25th in steals allowed per game (8.3).
Utah ranks second in fast break points allowed per game (10.0) while Houston ranks 15th (11.9).
The Rockets rank first in three pointers attempted per game (42.3) while the Jazz rank 13th (29.6).
Houston ranks sixth in points off turnovers per game (17.1) while Utah ranks 17th in points off turnovers allowed per game (16.8).
The Jazz rank first in assists allowed per game (19.7) while the Rockets rank 11th (22.4).
Houston ranks fifth in blocks allowed per game (4.3) while Utah ranks 10th (4.6).
The Jazz rank third in second chance points allowed per game (11.0) while the Rockets rank seventh (11.7).
Utah is second in the NBA with 41.8 rebounds allowed per game while Houston is fifth with 42.2 rebounds allowed per game.
Bettings Trends:
In their last five games, Utah is 2-3 ATS with 2 overs, 2 unders and 1 push.
Houston is 4-1 ATS with 3 overs, 1 under and 1 push over their last five games.
The Jazz’s average margin of victory in their last five games has been 2.6, down from 4.1 for the season.
During their last five games, the Rockets have scored an average of 111.6 points per game (0.6 below their season average) and allowed an average of 100.6 points per game (3.1 below their season average).
*****
