The trade deadline has passed and James Harden and Dwight Howard still find themselves playing alongside each other. Now, both stars have no choice but to work together and try to lead the Houston Rockets back to the playoffs. They’re currently eighth in the Western Conference, just half-a-game ahead of the Utah Jazz, whom they visit in Salt Lake City tonight.
Read on for more about this game. You can also check out our breakdown of Pelicans vs. Wizards.
Houston has been a disappointment thus far this season, but some nights the team plays like a championship contender. Take for example the Rockets’ 116-100 win over Phoenix on Friday.
Despite shooting just 1-for-6 from beyond the arc, James Harden did everything else Houston could ask for, as he posted 27 points, 10 rebounds, and seven assists. Trevor Ariza, meanwhile, racked up 27 points, mostly coming from his four three-pointers.
While beating a going-nowhere Suns team isn’t exactly a good indicator of good things to come for Houston, it nevertheless vaulted the Rockets back into the top eight of the Western Conference.
Up against Utah for the third time later tonight, Harden is poised to record impressive numbers again. After all, he’s torched the Jazz for 31.5 points in the past two meetings with the Jazz.
Dwight Howard also figures to make a big difference tonight. He wasn’t around when the Rockets beat Utah 103-94 on January 7 due to suspension. Howard, who scored 15 points and grabbed just six boards against the Suns, is averaging 14.6 points and 11.9 boards on the season.
Houston is also scoring better on the road (105.9 PPG) than at Toyota Center (104.6 PPG). The over is 9-1 in the Rockets’ last 10 road games.
The Jazz are searching for stability following a 115-111 loss to Portland on Sunday. After going 7-1 SU to close out the first half of the season, the Jazz have now lost three of their last four games.
Utah’s sudden drop in form could be largely attributed to its sputtering defense that has surrendered 102.8 points over its past four games. For comparison, the Jazz are second in the league thus far this season in scoring defense with 96.5 points allowed per contest.
The Jazz definitely need their defense fixed or else see James Harden and company have another field day scoring. Houston averaged just 98.0 points in two games against Utah, but shot an incredible 50.3 percent from the field.
Hopefully for the Jazz, the combined presence of Rudy Gobert and Derrick Favors later tonight would be enough to bottle up the Rockets’ offense. Gobert didn’t play in the first meeting—a 93-91 loss on January 4—due to an MCL injury and played just 15 minutes off the bench in the following matchup three days later. Favors, on the other hand, didn’t play in both games due to back spasms.
With Gobert and Favors in the middle, the Rockets are unlikely to dominate inside the paint. Utah allows the second fewest points in the paint with opponents scoring just 38.6 PITP per game
On offense, the Jazz are relying on Gordon Hayward, Rodney Hood, and Favors to provide the inside-outside scoring. Hayward scored 21 points against Portland, while Hood went 8-for-16 to finish with 18 points. Favors, meanwhile, had 22 points to go along with eight rebounds. The three should find lots of opportunities against Houston’s defense that ranks just 28th in the league with 106.7 points allowed per outing.
Utah is 6-0 SU and 4-2 ATS in its last six home games.
