After a routine butt-kicking in Game 1, the Houston Rockets continue their quest for playoff redemption when they host the Utah Jazz for Game 2. The Rockets dominated in the opener with a 32-point win and held the Jazz to 90 points and 39 percent shooting. The Rockets have won 12 of their last 13 home games with nine of those wins by double digits.
The Rockets opened as 6.5-point favorites with a total of 212.5.
STANDOUT STATS
- Houston is a league-best 20-5 SU in 25 games since the all-star break while going 14-9-2 ATS. The Rockets have won 12 of their last 13 games at home, including Game 1, when they held the Jazz to 90 points and beat them by 32. When the Rockets faced Utah in the second round last season, they won the series in five games and each win was by double digits.
- The Rockets have been getting a large part of their offense from behind the arc. Since the all-star break, they lead the NBA in three-point attempts per game (46.6) while hitting 17.4 of them (37.3 percent). In Game 1, they stuck to that script by taking 41 attempts from behind the arc and hitting 15 of them.
- After the all-star break, the Jazz were one of the most efficient offenses in the NBA as they ranked second in field-goal percentage and fifth in three-point percentage despite ranking 22nd in shot attempts per game. However, that game plan fell apart in Game 1 as they could only manage 77 total shots and hit 39 percent of their attempts, including an ugly 7-for-27 from behind the arc. The Jazz’s bench players didn’t do much in Game 1 as they only managed 18 points on 4-of-26 shooting.
- James Harden scored “only” 29 points vs the Jazz in Game 1 but he didn’t need to be a superhero like throughout the regular season, as five other players scored in double figures and shot over 50 percent from the field (Harden shot 42 percent). During the regular season, Harden averaged 32.9 points while hitting 45.9 percent of his shots.
- UNDER bettors have been rewarded when backing the Rockets since the all-star break as it has hit in 15 of their last 21 games and in seven of their last nine games at home. Totals bettors should also note the UNDER has hit in four of the last five games in this matchup.
My Best Bet for Jazz vs Rockets
Rockets -6.5
I’m not picking against the Rockets at home for the foreseeable future because their style of play is so difficult to stop. Houston is taking so many three-point attempts that it overwhelms opponents and makes teams like the Jazz have to match that style, which is not the easiest thing to replicate.
The Rockets have been so balanced offensively with seven players scoring in double figures in Game 1 and no one really had a breakout game, while most of the starters were limited to only 32 minutes. I think the Rockets win by double digits again and I have no problem backing them at this spread.
