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.
One reason Utah is able to survive Mitchell’s short-term absence is the presence of a strong NBA Sixth Man of the Year candidate in Jordan Clarkson, who averages 17.4 points in 25.9 minutes off the bench. With Mitchell sidelined, Clarkson’s scoring total leads a balanced and deep squad, with six players averaging at least 12 points per game.
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The lines, courtesy of BetMGM
- Point spread: Jazz -11
- Money line: Jazz -650 / Rockets +450
- Over-under: 226.5
- Player scoring props: Bojan Bogdanovic 18.5, Mike Conley 17.5, Rudy Gobert 15.5, Joe Ingles 14.5, Royce O’Neale 7.5; John Wall 21.5, Christian Wood 19.5, Kevin Porter Jr. 14.5, Kelly Olynyk 14.5, Jae’Sean Tate 11.5
Place your legal, online sports bets in VA, CO, IA, IN, NJ, PA, TN and WV at BetMGM.
With Mitchell out, Utah coach Quin Snyder is expected to start Mike Conley, Joe Ingles, Bojan Bogdanovic, Royce O’Neale, and Rudy Gobert. Meanwhile, Houston is likely to counter with John Wall, Kevin Porter Jr., Jae’Sean Tate, Kelly Olynyk, and Christian Wood.
Advice and prediction
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. It still wasn’t enough for the Rockets to get the victory, and it probably won’t be this time, either. However, as was the case last month, it shouldn’t come as a shock if the Rockets are able to cover a huge spread. Similarly, the over on Porter’s personal points total (14.5) could be a worthwhile gamble.
Prediction: Jazz 116, Rockets 108
Get more betting analysis and predictions at Sportsbook Wire.
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