Houston Rockets @ Utah Jazz: Game 18: Sneak Peek Analysis
The Houston Rockets are now 11-6 after 17 games, a refreshing admission to make.
The Houston Rockets are now 11-6 after 17 games, a refreshing admission to make.
They’re getting the job done and although they’ve tested against the elite, this team is proving that they can hang with just about anyone.
The Rockets are playoff team and continue to hope that they sustain their momentum through the end of the season.
What a great start so far!
The Rockets will take on the 10-8 Utah Jazz tonight in their house and I think it’ll be more of the same as this team did not have any problems taking care of their opponent two weeks ago.
But, of course, their shots need to be timely and falling for them to continue to dominate their opponents as they have been.
We’ll have to see but it should be a nice match up tonight!
So who’s leading the charge for the Jazz?
George Hill leads the team in scoring (21.2 PPG), Rudy Gobert is the top board-getter (10.9 RPG) and shot-blocker (2.5 BPG). Hill also is in charge of the dimes (4.2 APG) and steals (1.1 SPG).
Let’s talk about what the Jazz do well.
They still have incredible defensive prowess. The Jazz are now 3rd in the NBA in defensive efficiency, allowing 99.1 points per 100 possessions. This is up from 7th in 2015-16 where they were allowing 101.6 per 100.
They’re a solid rebounding team. The Jazz are ranked 7th in rebound rate with the team rebounding 51 percent of missed shots. This is more than likely because of the larger-than-life presence of Gobert.
They’re good shooters. The Jazz are ranked 9th in true shooting percentage (55.0) and 10th in effective field goal percentage (51.0).
Next: James Harden: New Position, Attitude, Breath Of Fresh Air
Injuries:
Patrick Beverley had successful surgery Oct. 25 — it was a minor knee scope to clean up some the damage that had occurred from his injury.
Bev made his debut Nov. 17 against the Portland Trail Blazers and posted 11 points, three blocks and three assists in 25 minutes of action.
He was 5-for-8 from the field and 1-for-2 from behind-the-arc. It’s expected from him to be on minutes-restriction up to 25 per for the time being as he knocks the rust and tests the knee.
He will continue to start as he had been doing in the past.
He recently saw 31 minutes of action against the Sacramento Kings Friday night so it’s possible that Bev is officially on the mend.
We’ll have to continue to see how this plays out.
Gordon Hayward has been active for a few weeks but his finger is not fully healed. Hayward told the Salt Lake Tribune recently that he still feels the pain when he dunks. This is because of the weight and bending of the finger while it’s on the rim.
Hayward missed the first six games of the season after breaking his left ring finger when he got caught in another player’s jersey during a preseason practice.
Source(s): Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle and Aaron Falk of the Salt Lake Tribune
Four Things to Watch:
- James Harden vs. George Hill
- Eric Gordon vs. Rodney Hood
- Clint Capela vs. Rudy Gobert
- Trevor Ariza vs. Gordon Hayward
Prediction:
110-101 in a Houston Rockets’ win!
The Rockets are still on the road to take on the Jazz at Vivint Smart Home Arena.
Tip-off is scheduled for 8 p.m. CST.
The game will be televised on ROOT Sports Southwest/NBA TV and broadcast on SportsTalk 790 AM (KBME), Sirius/XM/SiriusXM Internet 890 and La Ranchera 101.7 FM (KNTE) & 850 AM (KEYH) in Spanish.
Go Rockets!