The Houston Rockets ended their two-game road trip on a high note as they escaped with a two-point victory over the Utah Jazz on Monday. The Rockets will look to sustain the momentum of that huge win when they take on the Utah Jazz in a mouth-watering clash at Toyota Center.
Read on below for an in-depth breakdown of this Western Conference matchup and while you’re at it, you can check out our previews of Atlanta vs. Philadelphia and Chicago vs. Boston.
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Utah Jazz vs. Houston Rockets Preview
Where: Toyota Center, Houston
When: Thursday, January 7, 8:00 PM ET
Line: Utah Jazz (+9) at Houston Rockets (-9); total: 198.5 – view all NBA lines
TV Broadcast: ROOT
Betting on the Utah Jazz (15-19)
Things are going from bad to worse for the Utah Jazz as they crashed to their second consecutive defeat with a humiliating 123-98 loss to the San Antonio Spurs on Wednesday night. The Jazz simply had no answer for the Spurs’ firepower as eight San Antonio players scored in double-figures.
[sc:NBA250 ]The Jazz will look to get their season back on track when they face the Rockets tonight. For Utah to snap its losing skid this evening, it needs to take much better care of the basketball. The Jazz committed a total of 19 team turnovers which the Spurs turned into 24 huge points. They can ill afford to repeat that sloppy play against a Houston side that is fifth in the NBA in points off turnovers, averaging 18.2 per game this season.
Another source of concern for head coach Quin Snyder is his team’s growing injury crisis. Utah players have missed a total of 69 games this season due to illness or injuries. The Jazz are still getting to grips with the absence of Alec Burks who’s out with a fractured left fibula. They are 3-3 since Burks suffered that ill-fated injury. With Burks sidelined for at least a couple of months, the onus is on the Jazz’ reserves to step up their play. One bench player who’s expected to contribute tonight is Trey Burke. He erupted for 21 points in the blowout loss to San Antonio.
The Houston Rockets finally snapped their four-game losing skid with a 93-91 victory over the Utah Jazz on Monday. Four players scored in double-figures for the Rockets who climbed into seventh place in the Western Conference standings with a 17-19 slate.
They will look to make it back-to-back wins when they take on the Utah Jazz in an immediate rematch tonight. Expected to play an integral role in this evening’s contest is James Harden. He scored 30 points, grabbed five rebounds and dished out seven assists on Monday. He was the catalyst for the Rockets’ fightback which saw Houston erase a 15-point third-quarter deficit.
For the Rockets to repeat that stirring victory tonight, they will need to build on their strong defensive performance against the Jazz. They held Utah to just 40 percent shooting on Monday with the Jazz going just 4-of-17 in the final quarter. That’s quite a defensive turnaround for the Rockets who allowed 100-plus points in their previous four losses and 58 points to the Jazz in the first half.
The Rockets are 7-3 SU and 6-4 ATS in their last 10 home games.
