In a battle between the NBA’s best and worst teams by current records, the Rockets host the Jazz on Wednesday night at Toyota Center. Utah’s 43-15 mark is the perfect inverse of Houston’s 15-43 record, and the Jazz also lead the league with a +9.2 point differential per game.
The one silver lining for Houston could be that the Jazz aren’t at full strength, since All-Star guard Donovan Mitchell is out with a right ankle sprain. However, that’s of limited consolation to Stephen Silas, whose Rockets still have six potential rotation players sidelined.
As expected, Houston’s injury report for Wednesday still lists DJ Augustin (left ankle), Sterling Brown (left knee), Dante Exum (right calf), Eric Gordon (right groin), Danuel House Jr. (right ankle), and David Nwaba (right wrist) as out. Utah’s injury report is less extensive in volume, listing only Mitchell and Udoka Azubuike (right ankle) as out. Ersan Ilyasova is questionable with left hamstring tightness.
Here’s when you should tune in to see Wednesday’s game:
- Date: Wednesday, April 23
- Time: 7 p.m. Central
- TV Channel: AT&T SportsNet Southwest
- Live stream: fuboTV (watch for free in Houston markets)
Probable starting lineups
Houston Rockets (15-43)
- Guard: John Wall
- Guard: Kevin Porter Jr.
- Forward: Jae’Sean Tate
- Forward: Kelly Olynyk
- Center: Christian Wood
Utah Jazz (43-15)
- Guard: Mike Conley
- Guard: Joe Ingles
- Forward: Bojan Bogdanovic
- Forward: Royce O’Neale
- Center: Rudy Gobert
The Jazz also have a potential NBA Sixth Man of the Year award winner coming off the bench in Jordan Clarkson, who averages 17.4 points in 25.9 minutes. With Mitchell out, Clarkson’s scoring total actually leads a balanced and deep Utah squad, with six players averaging at least 12 points per game. It would be a shocker if that isn’t enough in Houston.
If there’s any hope of an upset, it likely comes in the form of improved play by Kevin Porter Jr., a second-year guard for the Rockets. During Houston’s recently completed road trip in Florida, Porter averaged 20.0 points (48.3% FG, 50.0% on 3-pointers) and 5.0 assists per game, and he played a key role in Sunday’s rare victory at Orlando. However, the Jazz are clearly in a different class than the lowly Magic (18-39).
It’s worth noting that Porter did play well in his earlier meeting with Utah, posting 27 points and 8 assists on March 12 in Salt Lake City. However, it still wasn’t enough for the Rockets to get the victory.
Note: This post first appeared on Rockets Wire. Follow us on Facebook!
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