A pair of Western Conference teams take the floor looking to pick up some ground in the playoff picture do battle in the Lone Star State. The Utah Jazz are on the road as they travel to face the Houston Rockets Saturday night. Utah comes in off a 134-129 home loss to the Thunder Thursday night, failing to cover the line as a three-point underdog in their previous game. Houston was dropped 109-94 on the road by the Knicks Wednesday night in their previous contest, failing to cover the line as a seven-point underdog. In the all-time regular season series between the teams, the Jazz own a 114-100 advantage and took the last two meetings. That includes a 131-114 road victory in their previous matchup on January 5, 2023.

Houston Rockets Hoping to Bounce Back

Houston suffered their third straight loss and their fifth in the last six games as they were dropped by the Knicks on the road Wednesday night. The Rockets fell to 19-21 on the season and stand third in the Southwest Division, five games behind the Pelicans for the top spot. They were 11th in the Western Conference playoff picture, 10.5 games behind the Timberwolves for the top spot and four games behind Dallas for the final guaranteed playoff spot. They were one game behind the Lakers for the final spot in the play-in tournament. Against the Knicks Thursday, Houston was up two after the opening quarter and trailed by two at the half: they were within one early in the third quarter before giving up an 8-0 run to trail 62-53. The Rockets couldn’t get closer than seven the rest of the way as the Knicks clamped down defensively. Houston shot only 41.7% from the field, including eight of 30 from three-point range, and lost the rebounding battle 51-38 in the game. Fred VanVleet led the Rockets with 24 points and 12 assists in the loss.

The Rockets enter this contest 22nd in the league with 112.2 points per game on the season. Houston is 8th in rebounding by collecting 44.9 boards a night while they are 25th in assists with 24.7 dimes per contest. The Rockets are 8th in scoring defense as they give up an average of 111.7 points per game on the year. Alperen Seguin leads the team in scoring with 21.5 points, nine rebounds and 4.9 assists per game this season. Jalen Green (17.4 points, 4.6 rebounds), Fred VanVleet (17.2 points, 8.6 assists), Dillon Brooks (13.6 points) and Jabari Smith Jr. (13.4 points) have been solid secondary scoring options this season. Amen Thompson, Tari Eason, Jeff Green, Jae’Sean Tate, Reggie Bullock, Jock Landale and Aaron Holiday have to contribute for coach Ime Udoka for the team to have success. Houston is 24th in field goal percentage as they shoot 46.1% as a team from the floor. The Rockets are 22nd in threes per game as they knock down 12.1 triples a night and stand 23rd in three-point shooting by hitting 35.6% from beyond the arc.

Utah Jazz Looking to Regroup on the Road

Utah saw their six-game win streak snapped as they were outgunned at home by the Thunder Thursday night. The Jazz entered Friday 22-21 on the season and stood fourth in the Northwest Division, nine games behind the Timberwolves for the top spot. They were ninth in the Western Conference, 2.5 games behind the Mavericks for the final guaranteed playoff spot and 1.5 games ahead of the Rockets to remain in the play-in tournament field. Against Oklahoma City, Utah was down as many as 17 in the opening quarter and by 12 after one. The Jazz closed within three in the second quarter and trailed by nine at the half before tying the game with just over three minutes to play in the third quarter. Utah trailed by three after three quarters but couldn’t get any closer than that down the stretch. The Jazz shot 48.3% from the field, including 13 of 32 from beyond the arc, but allowed the Thunder to shoot 55.8% in the contest. Collin Sexton led Utah with 31 points and seven assists in the loss.

The Jazz comes into this contest 11th in the league in scoring offense with 117.1 points per game this season. Utah is 2nd in rebounding by pulling down 46.4 boards per night while standing 7th by dishing out 28.1 assists a night. The Jazz are 23rd in the league in scoring defense as they allow 118.5 points per contest. Lauri Markkanen leads the Jazz as he puts up 24.1 points plus 8.8 rebounds per contest. Jordan Clarkson (17.9 points, 5.2 assists), John Collins (13.9 points, 7.6 rebounds) and Collin Sexton (17.2 points) are capable scoring options. Walker Kessler, Talen Horton-Tucker (11 points, 4.2 assists), Simone Fontecchio, Keyonte George (11.1 points, 4.4 assists), Kris Dunn and Ochai Agbaji are important pieces for coach Will Hardy. Utah is shooting 46.8% from the field, which is 18th in the league in field goal percentage. The Jazz knock down an average of 13.2 triples per game, which is 13th in the league, and stand 22nd in three-point field goal percentage by knocking down 35.7% of their attempts from beyond the arc.