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The Houston Rockets take on the Utah Jazz. Check out our NBA odds series, which includes our Rockets-Jazz prediction and pick.
The Utah Jazz were supposed to be tanking this season, right? Not so fast. This team certainly looks like a contender for a play-in spot. The Jazz have a new coach, Will Hardy, who is doing an excellent job of deploying personnel and developing the players on his roster. Look at Lauri Markkanen, for example. He never found a groove in Chicago or Cleveland, but Markkanen has thrived for the Jazz in the first few games of the season. He was a legitimately dominant offensive player in Utah's overtime win over the New Orleans Pelicans this past Sunday. He looks far better than he did in his previous NBA seasons. If this is the player Utah will have for the vast majority of the regular season, the Jazz's upside increases significantly. The same can be said for a few other players on the roster who looked better than they have in the past. Mike Conley is still a solid floor leader for this team, getting everyone organized, and Jordan Clarkson is the fearless shooter-scorer who can catch fire and cause problems for opposing defenses. So what if Rudy Gobert and Donovan Mitchell are gone? The Jazz have instantly made themselves a tough team to play. The possibility of winning 40 games does not seem ludicrous at this point.
The Houston Rockets did give the Jazz their first loss of the season earlier this week, winning 114-108. Three different Rockets had at least 21 points, led by Jalen Green's 26. Houston was able to earn 32 free throws compared to 16 for Utah. The Rockets outscored the Jazz at the foul line by a 27-9 margin, which clearly mattered in a six-point game. Houston was able to limit the effectiveness of the Utah offense, specifically Markkanen, who finished 7 of 19 from the field and 0 for 6 on 3-pointers. Houston was also able to force 20 turnovers from the Jazz, five of them by Kelly Olynyk. The Rockets didn't allow Utah's role players to find a comfort zone in this game, either. Utah veteran Rudy Gay did not make a single field goal attempt in 13 minutes off the bench. Utah rookie big man Walker Kessler played eight foul-plagued minutes. He picked up four fouls in those eight minutes and was basically played off the floor by the Houston lineup. The Rockets, who nearly beat the Memphis Grizzlies late last week, were able to make improvements against the Jazz in Houston. In this return game in Salt Lake City, they will try to keep the momentum going.
Here are the Rockets-Jazz NBA odds, courtesy of FanDuel
NBA Odds: Rockets-Jazz Odds
Houston Rockets: +8 (-114)
Utah Jazz: -8 (-106)
Over: 233 (-108)
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Under: 233 (-112)
Why The Rockets Could Cover The Spread
The Rockets were able to limit the Jazz's effectiveness from 3-point range, and they certainly were able to outmaneuver the Jazz's defense, getting 32 free throws earlier this week in their win over Utah. Houston might not get 32 foul shots in this game, but it does seem that the Rockets are quicker than the Jazz. Utah is a big team (even without Gobert), but the Rockets have smaller guys who can beat the Jazz on the dribble and get to the rim. That matchup might not be easy for Utah to solve, even though the Jazz just played Houston and have had some time to study film and make adjustments. Utah has been better than expected through four games, but it's only the first week of the season. We could see a change of patterns in which Utah becomes very vulnerable.
Why The Jazz Could Cover The Spread
It's clear that the Jazz are a lot better than most expected. They didn't win in Houston, but now they get a return game in Salt Lake City and a chance to make plenty of adjustments to the Rockets' offense. Also, Lauri Markkanen is unlikely to go 0 for 6 on 3-pointers for a second straight game. Chances are he shoots a lot better in this rematch.
Final Rockets-Jazz Prediction & Pick
The Jazz probably win outright, but the Rockets clearly found something against Utah earlier this week. That will probably be enough to stay close and cover.
Final Rockets-Jazz Prediction & Pick: Rockets +8
