The Utah Jazz own the NBA’s top record and are trying to secure the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference and home-court advantage throughout the 2021 playoffs. The Houston Rockets, on the other hand, have the league’s worst mark and are extremely short-handed, too.
That’s the backdrop to Saturday’s matchup in Salt Lake City, in which the Jazz can secure a 3-0 series sweep over the Rockets in the 2020-21 regular season. Both teams played Friday and are on the second half of a back-to-back, though it’s much easier for Utah — since they’re playing at home in both ends. Houston, on the other hand, did not arrive until early Saturday morning thanks to Friday night’s game in Milwaukee.
Despite the roster hardships, the Rockets were much more competitive than expected against the Bucks, led by a career night from rookie forward KJ Martin (26 points, 7 assists, 6-of-10 on 3-pointers). However, it won’t be easy to repeat that effort 24 hours later, and at high altitude.
Here’s when you should tune in to see Saturday’s game:
- Date: Saturday, May 8
- Time: 9 p.m. Central
- TV Channel: AT&T SportsNet Southwest
- Live stream: fuboTV (watch for free in Houston markets)
Probable starting lineups
Houston Rockets (16-50)
- Guard: DJ Augustin
- Guard: DaQuan Jeffries
- Forward: Anthony Lamb
- Forward: KJ Martin
- Center: Kelly Olynyk
Utah Jazz (49-18)
- Guard: Joe Ingles
- Guard: Royce O’Neale
- Forward: Bojan Bogdanovic
- Forward: Georges Niang
- Center: Rudy Gobert
Neither team will issue their official injury report for Saturday until midday, since both played on Friday night. However, the Jazz were healthier by comparison, with only Donovan Mitchell (right ankle), Mike Conley (right hamstring), and Juwan Morgan (right heel) sidelined.
By comparison, the Rockets were missing 10 of their 17 players under contract, including Christian Wood (right ankle), John Wall (right hamstring), Jae’Sean Tate (left knee), Eric Gordon (right groin), Sterling Brown (left knee), Kevin Porter Jr. (left ankle), Avery Bradley (personal reasons), Dante Exum (left calf), David Nwaba (right wrist), and D.J. Wilson (health and safety protocols). The Rockets were able to list eight active players for Friday, which is the minimum requirement to play, by signing young guard Khyri Thomas via an NBA hardship exception.
Houston’s eight players in Friday’s loss to Milwaukee were Thomas, Kelly Olynyk, DJ Augustin, Danuel House Jr., Armoni Brooks, KJ Martin, DaQuan Jeffries, and Anthony Lamb. That’s enough to play, but it’s a hard formula to win with versus the NBA’s elite. Head coach Stephen Silas said he was not anticipating major availability changes between Friday and Saturday, with Wood already ruled out due to ongoing ankle issues.
Note: This post first appeared on Rockets Wire. Follow us on Facebook!
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