For the second year in a row, the Houston Rockets and Utah Jazz collide in the Western Conference playoffs, this time in the first round, and Game 1 goes from the Toyota Center. The teams have been collecting victories frequently to close out the regular season, with both winning eight of their last 10 games. The Rockets and Jazz split their four-game season series and Houston is a 6.5-point favorite with the total Sportsbook at 214 points.
Standout Stats
- Both teams have been very strong in the second half of the regular season and, more recently, Utah has gone 8-2 SU and 6-4 ATS through its last 10 games with an average winning margin of 18. Similarly, Houston has also been on a tear through the final 10 matches of the season with a record of 8-2 SU and 7-2-1 ATS and an average winning margin of 22.25. The two teams split their four-game season series with the Jazz winning their two games by a combined margin of 38, while the Rockets had a combined winning margin of 32.
- The Rockets have been a great defensive team down the stretch and the total has gone UNDER in six of their last 10 games but with an average combined score of 221.9. Meanwhile, the Jazz have split the total through their last 10 games, with five going OVER and five going UNDER and an average combined score of 225.5. The total went UNDER in three of the four meetings between Houston and Utah with an average combined score of 205.
- Offensively, Houston has been one of the better teams down the stretch, racking up 119.4 ppg through its final 10 games to rank fourth in the NBA. Much of that scoring came from beyond the arc as the Rockets averaged 49.8 attempts from long range, by far the most in the Association. Additionally, they were the best defensive squad in the league over the final 10 matches, restricting opponents to 102.5 ppg and 43.7 percent shooting from the floor (sixth).
- Utah is right there offensively with Houston, pouring in 119.4 ppg, and it had the second-best shooting percentage from the floor, hitting 50.6 percent of its total attempts through the final 10 games. On the defensive side of the ball, the Jazz limited their opponents to 106 ppg for the fourth-best mark in the NBA over the same time frame. Perhaps most critical for this series is that Utah’s opponents shot just 32 percent from beyond the arc.
- Turnovers could be the demise of the Jazz, though, as they ranked 26th by committing 15.2 giveaways per game through their last 10, while the Rockets created the sixth-most takeaways over that span at 14.0. However, Utah should have an advantage around the rim as it chipped in the third-most points in the paint per game, while Houston ranked 20th defensively in the paint.
My Best Bet for Utah vs Houston
UNDER 214
Both teams have been absolutely terrific defensively down the stretch of the regular season and that has resulted in the UNDER coming through frequently. Additionally, three of the four meetings between these clubs went UNDER with an average combined score of 205. Utah has been good at defending the three-point line, which is where Houston does its damage. I expect a low-scoring, feeling-out game to open the series.
