Utah Jazz vs Houston Rockets odds, starters, injury reports, predictions
The Utah Jazz have been under duress lately. Once widely regarded as a championship contender, they’ve dropped 5 of their last 6 contests. Admittedly, they’re 1-1 since Rudy Gobert’s return, but that one loss was a shameful defeat at the hands of the Los Angeles Lakers.
That wasn’t the only negative outcome of that Lakers game. The Jazz (29-15) also temporarily lost Donovan Mitchell. He suffered a head injury in that contest that forced him into the league’s health and safety protocols. This Jazz squad is likely to struggle without Mitchell. Luckily, they shouldn’t need him to beat the Houston Rockets.
The Rockets (13-32) feature plenty of intriguing young talent, but they’re also squarely in the middle of a rebuild. They’ve struggled to beat teams with significantly less talent than a Mitchell-less Jazz club.
Just don’t blame us for jinxing the Jazzmen if they come away with a win tonight.
Utah Jazz vs Houston Rockets Odds Tonight
According to WynnBet, the Jazz are 14 point favorites to win this game tonight, and -1000 point favorites on the money line. The Rockets are +650 point underdogs.
The over/under is presently set at 230.5 points.
Utah Jazz Starting Lineup
Other than Mitchell, all of Utah’s starters should be available tonight. Snyder could start either Ingles or Clarkson in Mitchell’s place. We’re banking on him to keep Clarkson’s spark plug offense with the second unit. Expect a starting lineup of Mike Conley, Joe Ingles, Bojan Bogdanovic, Royce O’Neale and Rudy Gobert tonight.
Utah Jazz Injury Report
In case we forgot to mention, Donovan Mitchell is in the league’s concussion protocols. Hassan Whiteside is out for the same reason. Otherwise, the Jazz will be healthy tonight.
Utah Jazz vs Houston Rockets Prediction
If you had to do a double take when reading WynnBet’s odds, you’re not alone. They are staggeringly in favor of the Utah Jazz.
There’s a reason for that. These Rockets are in the infancy stages of a rebuild. The veterans they do roster are mostly holdovers from a bygone era. Outside of Eric Gordon, most of them are not significant difference-makers. They have talent, but most of it is in the form of players between the ages of 19 and 21.
Christian Wood is an exception to that rule. His ability to space the floor will draw Gobert out of the paint at times. That doesn’t project as enough of a factor to result in a Rockets win. Anything could happen, but the safe money is on the Jazz tonight.
Utah Jazz vs Houston Rockets TV Channel
Fans in Space City can catch this contest on ComCast SportsNet Houston, while fans in Utah should turn to AT&T SportsNet Rocky Mountain.
Utah Jazz Schedule and Next Game
The Jazz should enjoy their next contest against the Detroit Pistons on January 21. After that, things get a little hairier. They’ve got a back-to-back against the Warriors on January 23, and the Suns on January 24.
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It doesn’t get any easier from there. They play the Suns again on January 26. They’ll follow that contest up with a matchup against the red-hot Memphis Grizzlies on the 28th, and the Minnesota Timberwolves on the 30th.