What to Watch For: Utah Jazz at Houston Rockets
Rudy Gobert (27) finishes with a two-handed slam over the Houston Rockets
Mike Conley, Derrick Favors, and Rudy Gobert were back in action as the Utah Jazz took down the Los Angeles Lakers on Monday 111-97. From start, to finish, the Jazz were dominant in their victory over the Lakers, leading by as many as 25-points during the game. The Jazz will now travel to Houston to take on the Rockets in their final matchup of a three-game road trip.
Jazz vs Rockets Throwback:
The Jazz and Rockets have played 205 times in history, with Utah having the overall edge 107-98. Last time these two teams matched up, the Jazz extinguished the Rockets by a score of 107-98.
The last time that the Jazz and Rockets met in Houston, Bojan Bogdanovic hit a dagger three-pointer at the buzzer to seal a 114-113 Jazz victory.
Key Players:
Jordan Clarkson and Christian Wood will be the two players to keep your eye on during tonight's matchup between two Western Conference rivals.
Clarkson is the current frontrunner for Sixth-Man of the Year, and is second on the team in points (17.4) and third on the team in steals (0.9). Clarkson has become a fan favorite during his time in Utah, and is affectionately known as "the Flamethrower" to Jazz faithful.
Wood has been a solid player for the Rockets so far this season. Due to injury, he wasn't able to play against the Jazz during the last time these two teams met. He is back, healthy and ready to go for tonight's game. Wood leads the Rockets in points (21), rebounds (9.3), and blocks (1.3) per game.
Fun Facts:
The Jazz will wear their blue uniforms for the second-to-last time this regular season. Utah is currently 5-3 in their 'Icon Uniforms', with their last game in the jersey coming in a 103-111 loss to the Dallas Mavericks.
Mike Conley (10) draws the 'and-one' as he scores against the Houston Rockets
The top two frontrunners for Sixth-Man of the Year are Jordan Clarkson and Joe Ingles. You can read more about the race for that award here. The Jazz also have two other post season award frontrunners with Quin Snyder (NBA's Coach of the Year) and Rudy Gobert (Defensive Player of the Year).
Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid have been vocal in their pleadings to win Defensive Player of the Year Award over Jazzman Rudy Gobert. We have written a two-article series comparing the three players, which you can read here: (Ben Simmons vs Rudy Gobert) (Joel Embiid vs Rudy Gobert)
Donovan Mitchell's x-rays came back negative following his ankle injury against the Indiana Pacers last Friday. According to the Jazz injury report on ESPN, he is due to be re-evaluated next week.
Donovan Mitchell (45) drills a three pointer against the Houston Rockets
The Joe and Renae Ingles auction for autism awareness is LIVE, and can be found here. If you are able, please bid on these items in order to help those in the autism community.
The Jazz will take on one of their Western Conference rivals, the Houston Rockets, later this evening. The Jazz are 43-15 and remain in first place in the NBA. Utah leads the Phoenix Suns by one and a half games and the Los Angeles Clippers by three games in the Western Conference. They also lead the Philadelphia 76ers by three and a half games and the Brooklyn Nets by four games in the Eastern Conference.
The Houston Rockets are 15-43 in a league worst season. They are in last place in both the Western Conference and NBA. Houston is 1-6 in their last seven games, with their lone win coming over the Orlando Magic. Their losses have come against the Miami Heat, Denver Nuggets, Indiana Pacers, Phoenix Suns, Golden State Warriors, and Los Angeles Clippers.
Donovan Mitchell (right ankle sprain) is out, and Ersan Ilyasova (left hamstring tightness) is questionable for tonight's matchup against the Rockets.
The Rockets injury report includes Danuel House Jr. (ankle), Eric Gordon (groin), D.J. Augustin (N.A.), Dante Exum (calf), and David Nwaba (wrist) who are all listed as out, while Sterling Brown (face lacerations) is listed as day-to-day.
How to Consume:
The Utah Jazz will take on the Houston Rockets tonight at 6pm MST. Jazz fans can watch the game on AT&T SportsNet, and can also tune into the game on 97.5FM or 1280AM.
Bojan Bogdanovic (44) skies for a rebound against the Houston Rockets
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