The Houston Rockets grabbed the upper hand in the series once again after beating the Utah Jazz in Salt Lake City on Friday, 113-92. Will the Rockets steal another win in Utah before returning home for Game 5? Or will the Jazz guarantee a Game 6 at home with a win this Sunday? At press, Houston is a 6-point favorite at the sportsbook.
The Rockets bounced back from a letdown loss in Game 2 and burned Utah with a torrid offense on Friday. James Harden had 25 points and 12 assists, Chris Paul had 15 points, and Eric Gordon came off the bench and fired 25 points with four 3-pointers. The Rockets went 11-for-36 from deep, and though that was for an ugly 30.6 percentage shooting, Houston could care less about percentages so long as they like the volume. The Rockets also got a boost from their defense, as they turned Utah’s 16 turnovers into 19 points. Harden is averaging 30.4 points, 8.4 assists, and 5.3 rebounds in these playoffs, but is also getting plenty of help from the likes of Chris Paul and Clint Capela, who are putting up 18.8 and 15.9 points, respectively.
The Rockets are 2-0 SU and ATS in their last two games away from Toyota Center.
Betting on the Utah Jazz (+6)
A day after Ben Simmons had a grand total of one point in the Sixers’ loss to Boston, Donovan Mitchell copied the offensive struggles of his chief rival for the Rookie of the Year award by finishing with only 10 points on a horrendous 4-for-16 shooting. The offensive woes was felt by the entire Jazz, as they shot just 37.9 percent from the floor. Utah expects do better next time around. First, the Jazz will have to fix their issues on securing the ball. They can’t turn the ball over plenty of times against a high-scoring team like Houston. Mitchell should also find his touch back quick. The rookie leads the Jazz this postseason with 24.3 points per game. Joe Ingles, who had 27 points in Game 2, only had six in Game 3, so he, too, should recover his offense ASAP.
The Jazz are 3-2 ATS in their last five home games.
