Utah Jazz at Houston Rockets: Keys to the Game

Prediction – Jazz 112, Rockets 109

I would be a liar if I said I was feeling overly comfortable with my prediction, but nevertheless I’m going to pin the Jazz as narrow winners in tomorrow’s contest. However, the Rockets are an incredibly solid team and, yes, Utah has struggled against that kind of opponent. Not to mention Houston is an incredible 23-8 at home.

So why am I picking the Jazz to win you ask? Well, more than anything it’s because I like this match-up. Utah’s style and pace are designed to take teams like Houston out of their rhythm and if they can do so, they have a great chance of winning. Furthermore, while James Harden is a great player, Hill and the Jazz did an exceptional job of frustrating him into an inefficient outing the last time around and I’m confident they can do so again.

For those of you who read my week preview piece from yesterday, you’ll notice that the only change I’ve made to my prediction is to increase the total scoring output. After looking back at the last two games between these two teams and considering how Houston tends to turn games into offensive shootouts, I’m actually expecting more of a high-scoring game than what I originally projected but for Utah to still arise as three-point winners.

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Nevertheless, I’m fully aware that this will be one of the most difficult contests the Jazz have faced in quite some time and a win would be the first over a fellow Western Conference playoff team since December 18th. Those facts alone make this an absolutely crucial game for the Jazz.

And while they’ll have their work cut out for them, if they can come out firing on all cylinders offensively while doing their part to keep James Harden and Houston’s three-point barrage in check, I’m confident that Utah can reverse their recent trend and notch a statement win in tomorrow’s match-up.

All stats courtesy of NBA.com