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(NBA) Utah vs. Houston,
Point Spread: -6.00 | -110.00 Houston (Home)
Result: Win
Point Spread: -6.00 | -110.00 Houston (Home)
Result: Win
The set-up: Of the handful teams which attempted to upgrade their rosters in the off-season in an attempt to compete with the Warriors, the Houston Rockets are off to the best start. Houston's 119-104 victory at Atlanta on Friday gives them an NBA-best 6-1 record on the road and the team's overall 7-3 mark is tops in the Western Conference and behind only the 7-2 Boston Celtics, among all NBA teams. The Rockets will be home tonight though, when they welcome the 5-4 Utah Jazz to the Toyota Center. . The Jazz opened 5-0 at home but the team's hot start came to an end with a 109-100 loss to Toronto on Friday in Salt Lake City. The Jazz will visit the Rockets, who are just 1-2 at home, looking for their first road win of the young season (0-3).
Utah: The Jazz allowed 109 points to Toronto, the team's worst defensive scoring performance of the season. "Well, it wasn't the best defensive effort. That's got to be there for us," head coach Quin Snyder told reporters. "A lot of individual breakdowns where guys were getting beat put us in some compromising positions and they were able to score. We're not going to win if we don't play defense better than that." Utah comes into thsi contest allowing 96.0 PPG (2nd) and the team relies on its defense, as the Jazz are scoring a modest 98.1 PPG, to rank 27th.
Houston: The Rockets preceded their 15-point victory over the Hawks on Friday with an 18-point win over the Knicks on Wednesday. Houston made 19 three-pointers against the Knicks, then made 16 more vs. the Hawks. Houston jacked up 146 three-pointers over the last three games and is beginning to make a few more after some early accuracy issues. James Harden has averaged 29.7 points and 19.0 assists to lead the charge these last three games. Harden is averaging 26.8 PPG and 9.4 APG on the season, while the team's main off-season acquisition, Chris Paul, hasn't gotten back on the court since leaving with an injury in the team's season-opener. Center Clint Capela leads the NBA in FG percentage (69.0%), averaging 13.2 PPG and 10.9 RPG.
The pick: Utah has won and covered two of last three visits to Toyota Center. (had lost eight of nine prior to that) but remember, Gordon Hayward (27 PPG vs. Rockets) and G George Hill (22 PPG) left via free agency. After enduring a schedule that featured seven road games over a 10-game stretch, the Rockets will host the Jazz tonight, in the first of three successive home games and nine in 12 games at Houston, overall. The Jazz are 0-3 SU on the road, losing at Minnesota, the LA Clippers and Phoenix. It doesn't get any easier, here. Make Houston an 8* play.
Utah: The Jazz allowed 109 points to Toronto, the team's worst defensive scoring performance of the season. "Well, it wasn't the best defensive effort. That's got to be there for us," head coach Quin Snyder told reporters. "A lot of individual breakdowns where guys were getting beat put us in some compromising positions and they were able to score. We're not going to win if we don't play defense better than that." Utah comes into thsi contest allowing 96.0 PPG (2nd) and the team relies on its defense, as the Jazz are scoring a modest 98.1 PPG, to rank 27th.
Houston: The Rockets preceded their 15-point victory over the Hawks on Friday with an 18-point win over the Knicks on Wednesday. Houston made 19 three-pointers against the Knicks, then made 16 more vs. the Hawks. Houston jacked up 146 three-pointers over the last three games and is beginning to make a few more after some early accuracy issues. James Harden has averaged 29.7 points and 19.0 assists to lead the charge these last three games. Harden is averaging 26.8 PPG and 9.4 APG on the season, while the team's main off-season acquisition, Chris Paul, hasn't gotten back on the court since leaving with an injury in the team's season-opener. Center Clint Capela leads the NBA in FG percentage (69.0%), averaging 13.2 PPG and 10.9 RPG.
The pick: Utah has won and covered two of last three visits to Toyota Center. (had lost eight of nine prior to that) but remember, Gordon Hayward (27 PPG vs. Rockets) and G George Hill (22 PPG) left via free agency. After enduring a schedule that featured seven road games over a 10-game stretch, the Rockets will host the Jazz tonight, in the first of three successive home games and nine in 12 games at Houston, overall. The Jazz are 0-3 SU on the road, losing at Minnesota, the LA Clippers and Phoenix. It doesn't get any easier, here. Make Houston an 8* play.
