The Houston Rockets (17-19) take on the visiting Utah Jazz (15-19) at the Toyota Center. The game gets underway at 8:00 pm ET on Thursday, Jan. 7 and will air on RT and RSW.
The Rockets edged the Jazz 93-91 on Monday. James Harden was the game’s high scorer with 30 points on 9-for-25 shooting. The Jazz, meanwhile, are coming off a demoralizing 123-98 loss at the hands of the Spurs on Wednesday. Trey Burke had a game-high 21 points.
Over the last five games, Dwight Howard has been playing at a high level for the Rockets. During that stretch, he has averaged 19.2 points, 12.6 rebounds, 2.2 assists, 0.8 steals, and 1.2 blocks.
Utah could own the offensive glass in this matchup, as it ranks third in the NBA in offensive rebound percentage at 27.1%. Conversely, Houston places 29th in the league on the defensive backboards with a defensive rebound percentage of 73.2%.
The Rockets are a heavy nine-point favorite in this game and the Over/Under (O/U) is set at 198 points. The Rockets are looking to improve on their records of 17-19 Straight Up (SU) and 13-23 Against The Spread (ATS). They have gone 12-11 SU and 10-13 ATS against teams from the Western Conference. The Rockets are a phenomenal shooting team from the line with 20.0 free throws made per game, one of the highest marks in the NBA. Turning to the defensive side, the Rockets lead the league in steals with 9.9 per game. If its opponents turn the ball over, Houston has shown that it knows how to capitalize. They average 18.6 points off turnovers, making them the fifth-best team in the league for that category.
On the other side, Utah has a SU record of 15-19 and an ATS record of 18-15-1. Utah has records of 8-14 SU and 11-11 ATS against the West.
With the Rockets’ last win against Utah, their SU record against the Jazz moves to 8-2 over the last 10 meetings. Additionally, with a 6-4 record, the Rockets have the advantage ATS.
Predictions: SU Winner – Hou, ATS Winner – Hou, O/U – Under
Notes
Houston is 0-5 ATS in its last 5 games.
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Houston’s last 5 games.
Houston is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games.
Houston is 7-2 SU in its last 9 games at home.
Houston is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games when playing Utah.
The total has gone UNDER in 13 of Houston’s last 19 games when playing Utah.
Houston is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games when playing at home against Utah.
Utah has allowed an average of 97.6 points per game this season. Houston averages 103.9 points per game, placing the team fourth in scoring.
Houston ranks eighth in points per home game with 104.8 points, while Utah ranks sixth in points allowed on the road with 98.8.
In its last game, Utah lost by a 25-point margin. Houston is 2-4 in games decided by a margin of 18 points or more. Utah has a 4-4 record in blowouts.
In games where they allow fewer than 100 points, the Utah Jazz are a winning 14-5. In games where they score fewer than 100 points, the Houston Rockets have a subpar record of 2-10.
The Utah Jazz have an abysmal 1-14 record in games where they have allowed at least 100 points. The Houston Rockets are 15-9 when they hit the century mark.
The Rockets have a defensive rating of 106.2 (ranked 26th), while the Jazz rank 13th for their offensive rating of 102.9.
The Houston Rockets average a field goal percentage of 44.2% this season. The Utah Jazz have an abysmal record of 3-17 when opponents have a FG% of 44.2% or greater.
On average, the Houston Rockets attempt 30.0 three point field goals per game and the Utah Jazz attempt 22.0 per game. In games where they attempt at least 25 threes, Houston has a 15-16 record and Utah has a 6-7 record.
Houston has an assist to turnover ratio of 1.33 this season (ranked 27th), while Utah ranks lower at 29th with an A/TO of 1.26.
The Rockets rank 21st in rebounds per game with 42.6, while the Jazz rank 22nd with 42.5 per game.
The Utah Jazz are the fifth-ranked team in offensive rebounds, while the Houston Rockets are the 26th-ranked team in defensive rebounds.
Houston is among the best in forcing turnovers, with opponents averaging a TOV% of 15.6% (ranked sixth). Utah has a 7-10 record SU when its TOV% reaches 15.6% or greater.
