Game 37: Houston Rockets Vs. Utah Jazz Preview

The Houston Rockets get another opportunity to take on the injury-depleted 15-19 Utah Jazz tonight back here in H-Town.

Because of the heroics of Jason Terry, the Rockets were able to pull out a 93-91 win over the Jazz this past Monday despite leading for most of the game.

Facing a team like the Jazz worries me because they usually play down to opponents like themselves.

But despite all of that, the Rockets should be able to get a quality win against a team that’s still trying to find its way.

Maybe they’ll play some defense as well but that might be pushing the envelope.

You’d think with all the rest the Rockets will get this week that it’d help but it likely won’t.

Sometimes you just have to give a damn and I tend to question that with each game that I watch this season.

So who’s leading the charge for the Jazz?

Gordon Hayward is the team’s leading scorer (18.9 PPG) and chief of dimes (3.1 APG). Rudy Gobert is the top board-getter (10.9 RPG) and shot-blocker (2.60 BPG). Derrick Favors leads in steals (1.50 SPG).

Let’s talk about what the Jazz do well.

They attack the boards ferociously. The Jazz are 7th in the league in terms of rebound rate (51.5).

They’re decent at shooting the three-ball. The Jazz are 9th in the NBA as far as three-point percentage (36.0 percent).

Injuries:

Ty Lawson did practice yesterday but had to cut it short because he wasn’t feeling well. He has been dealing with a sprained ankle for a spell is trying to get himself back on the court. Although he had to leave practice early yesterday, there’s still a chance he plays tonight. His status is officially day-to-day.

If you’ve been under a rock lately, Donatas Motiejunas‘ back issues have flared up again. He has planned to sit out until he’s pain-free so no specific timeline has been set. This is such a setback to a guy that’s been working so hard to get back into a rhythm. There was no structural damage to the back itself so he may be back sooner than we think but he may not. We just have to cross our fingers for a speedy recovery. Montrezl Harrell will take his spot on the roster for the time being, he had been leading the Rio Grande Valley Vipers in scoring during his stint there (21.5 PPG).

Sam Dekker had back surgery and is expected to miss about a couple more months.

Rudy Gobert has been out for the past month as he has been dealing with a knee injury. He has resumed practicing and he did make the trip with team so there may be a slight chance that he does play tonight, he didn’t against the San Antonio Spurs last night.

Derrick Favors has been battling back spasms for the past couple of days. As a result, he did not make the trip with the team so Jeff Withey will get the start in his stead.

Sources: Jenny Dial Creech/Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle, Calvin Watkins of ESPN.com and David Locke of the Utah Jazz.

Next: 2015 FIVE Best Houston Sports Moments

Three Things to Watch:

Trevor Ariza vs. Gordon Hayward
Dwight Howard vs. Rudy Gobert?
Patrick Beverley vs. Trey Burke

Prediction:

111-102 in a Rockets’ win!

The Rockets are back at home to take on the Jazz at Toyota Center.

Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m. CST.

The game will be televised on ROOT Sports Southwest and broadcast on SportsTalk 790 AM (KBME) and La Ranchera 850 AM (KEYH) in Spanish.

Go Rockets!

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