Rockets Travel to Utah for Matchup with Slumping Jazz
Recipe for Disaster. Stringing Two Together. All In.
Houston, in a groove of sorts, has won two of their last three games to start their five-game road trip, which continues on Wednesday night in Salt Lake City. The Rockets will battle the sliding Jazz, who’ve lost five of their last six games overall. Utah is still in fourth place, only a game out of third in the West. But there’s no doubt they’ll be licking their chomps to feast on this young, inexperienced Houston team. In other words, tonight’s a recipe for disaster for the Rockets. Utah is one of the hardest places to play in the league, with arguably the most ruthless and audacious fans in the entire NBA. Salt Lake City isn’t as high as Denver, but the Jazz still play in high altitude, another factor opponents battle when playing in Utah. And losers of five of their last six, expect the Jazz to play hungrier than usual tonight. This game could be over in the first five minutes if Houston isn’t careful.
Since their seven-game winning streak (which feels like six months ago), the Rockets have failed to win consecutive games in a row. Houston has lost after every victory since their streak, and tonight’s matchup won’t be any easier. The Rockets do have the rest advantage, not having played since Sunday. Meanwhile, Utah played a late game in Los Angeles on Monday night, resulting in a hard-fought loss to the Lakers. Both teams are fairly healthy, and will have all their firepower tonight.
If Houston wants to pull off what would be their biggest upset of the season, they’re going to need to play with maximum effort, and leave it all on the floor. Everyone that sees court action for the Rockets needs to be all-in, playing with energy on a level comparable to Jae’Sean Tate and Garrison Matthews, who bounced back with a solid game in Houston’s win on Sunday. Utah’s Donovan Mitchell is having a career season, despite hardly being mentioned by the national media, and Rudy Gobert is once again one of the best rim protectors in the NBA for the Jazz. Those are Utah’s two primary damage-makers, but the Jazz have plenty of players who can hurt opponents on the perimeter. Veteran point-guard Mike Conley has been a perfect fit since he joined Utah in 2019. Jordan Clarkson and Joe Ingles are two of the best sixth men in the league, with Clarkson winning the award last season. And Bojan Bogdanovic beat the Rockets on a buzzer-beating three a few seasons ago. Utah has all the of components assembled to play the right tune that results in a Jazz victory tonight… can Houston’s groovy Garry Bird and company derail the noise in unexpected fashion? Tune in tonight to find out.
Vivint Arena: Salt Lake City, Utah
Jersey Colors:
Houston Rockets (13-32): White
Utah Jazz (29-15): Black “City Edition”
Tip-Off: 8 PM CT
TV: AT&T Sportsnet SW, NBA League Pass