3rd Quarter Report
Only one more quarter stands between the Rockets and the win they were favored to collect coming into this evening. They have a bit of a cushion as they currently lead the Jazz 122-89. This contest looks nothing like the tight 127-126 margin from the Rockets’ win over the Jazz in their previous head-to-head back in January.
The Rockets entered the match having won seven straight and they’re just one quarter away from another. Will they make it eight, or will the Jazz step up and spoil it? We’ll know soon.
Who’s Playing
Utah Jazz @ Houston Rockets
Current Records: Utah 29-41, Houston 34-35
How To Watch
- When: Saturday, March 23, 2024 at 8 p.m. ET
- Where: Toyota Center — Houston, Texas
- TV: KJZZ-TV 14
- Follow: CBS Sports App
- Online streaming: fuboTV (Try for free. Regional restrictions may apply.)
- Ticket Cost: $22.49
What to Know
The Jazz have quite the challenge ahead of them as they’re expected to be blown off the court. They will head out on the road to take on the Houston Rockets at 8:00 p.m. ET on Saturday at Toyota Center. The Jazz are staggering into the matchup hobbled by four consecutive losses, while the Rockets will skip in buoyed by seven consecutive wins.
It’s hard to win when your three-point shooting is a whole 18% worse than the opposition, a fact the Jazz found out the hard way on Thursday. They took a 113-97 bruising from Dallas.
Perhaps unsurprisingly given the score, the Jazz struggled to get the ball back on offense and finished the game with only five offensive rebounds. They are 1-3 when they can’t control their own glass like that.
Meanwhile, Houston was able to grind out a solid win over the Bulls on Thursday, taking the game 127-117.
The Rockets’ win was a true team effort, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Dillon Brooks, who scored 23 points along with two steals. Brooks didn’t help the Rockets’ cause all that much against the Wizards on Tuesday but the same can’t be said for this matchup.
Utah’s defeat was their ninth straight on the road, which dropped their record down to 29-41. As for Houston, they have been performing incredibly well recently as they’ve won nine of their last ten games, which provided a nice bump to their 34-35 record this season.
This contest is one where the number of possessions is likely to be a big factor: The Jazz have been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 46.1 rebounds per game (they’re ranked third in rebounds per game overall). However, it’s not like the Rockets (currently ranked fourth in rebounds per game) struggle in that department as they’ve been averaging 46 rebounds per game. Given these competing strengths, it’ll be interesting to see how their clash plays out.
The Jazz and the Rockets were neck-and-neck in their previous matchup back in January, but the Jazz came up empty-handed after a 127-126 defeat. A big factor in that loss was the dominant performance of the Rockets’ Alperen Sengun, who dropped a double-double on 37 points and 14 rebounds. Now that the Jazz know the damage he can cause, will they be able to stop him this time? Check CBSSports.com after the match to find out.
Odds
Houston is a big 11-point favorite against Utah, according to the latest NBA odds.
The oddsmakers had a good feel for the line for this one, as the game opened with the Rockets as a 10.5-point favorite.
The over/under is 228.5 points.
See NBA picks for every single game, including this one, from SportsLine’s advanced computer model. Get picks now.
Series History
Utah has won 7 out of their last 10 games against Houston.
- Jan 20, 2024 – Houston 127 vs. Utah 126
- Jan 05, 2023 – Utah 131 vs. Houston 114
- Oct 26, 2022 – Utah 109 vs. Houston 101
- Oct 24, 2022 – Houston 114 vs. Utah 108
- Mar 02, 2022 – Utah 132 vs. Houston 127
- Feb 14, 2022 – Utah 135 vs. Houston 101
- Jan 19, 2022 – Houston 116 vs. Utah 111
- Oct 28, 2021 – Utah 122 vs. Houston 91
- May 08, 2021 – Utah 124 vs. Houston 116
- Apr 21, 2021 – Utah 112 vs. Houston 89
