The Houston Rockets won’t be favored in the playoffs if they face off in a series against the Warriors, but home court advantage would certainly help. The Rockets boast an 18-4 record on the season, which is the best in the West and two games better than Golden State in the loss column.
Houston can’t afford to slow down with such an elite team in chase, so a road game against the Jazz this week is an important one to claim. Utah is above .500 on the season and has a point-differential that shows the Jazz may be even better than their 12-11 record would suggest.
The Jazz is 10-4 at home this season so it is certainly not an easy matchup for the Rockets despite their excellence thus far on the year.
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Odds Analysis
The Rockets are an extremely impressive 10-1 on the road this season and have an elite point-differential. They should enter this game as the favorite, but not overwhelmingly so because of Utah’s solid start to the season.
The scoring total will be an interesting one. Houston plays an up and down style of ball and average more than 114 points per game, but Utah plays much slower and wants to limit possessions against a high-powered opponent.
The Rockets have a tendency to impose their will, so the scoring total could be pretty high.
Key Stat
6. That’s the number of wins in a row Utah has tallied heading into this matchup. Utah has played the majority of those games at home and has taken advantage. The Jazz began the streak by knocking off the Bulls in a blowout, and then registered double-digit wins over the Buck, Nuggets and Clippers.
Utah picked up a hard-fought win over the Pelicans and then dominated the Wizards last time out. Even though the Jazz has been really good of late, the Rockets actually have a longer winning streak.
Houston has picked up seven straight wins. The Rockets have knocked off the Suns, Grizzlies, Nuggets, Nets, Knicks, Pacers and Lakers heading into this one. Houston has only lost four times this season, and not since mid-March when the Rockets were knocked off by the Raptors.
Player To Watch
Donovan Mitchell -- The Jazz have found a possible gem. The rookie guard has become a key piece immediately, averaging 16.4 points and 3.3 assists per game. Mitchell is Utah’s second-leading scorer behind only Rodney Hood.
He had a great game last time out against the Wizards by scoring in bunches to help the team to an easy win. The Jazz have a solid defense, but can sometimes lack scoring punch. The offseason departure of Gordon Hayward made it extremely important for a scorer to step up, and Mitchell has been that guy.
Free NBA ATS Picks
Utah has exceeded expectations thus far and seems like a team that should contend for a playoff spot. The home game is important as it should give the Jazz a chance in this one.
Houston will have to work hard, but should come away with a victory in this matchup. Check to see where the spread checks in because Utah should be able to cover it if the oddsmakers give too many points.
The “under” should be considered as Utah does a nice job of slowing the tempo and should be able to keep the Rockets from hitting their scoring average. This is an interesting Western Conference matchup and Utah should be able to stay competitive but won’t be able to pull the upset.
NBA Odds: Rockets 108, Jazz 103
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