Previewing Saturday’s Houston Rockets at Utah Jazz sports betting odds, picks and stats.
The Houston Rockets (35-20) will travel to the Vivint Smart Home Arena to take on the Utah Jazz (36-19) on Saturday night. Tipoff for this potential Western Conference playoff matchup is set for 9:00 p.m. E.T. We analyze the Rockets-Jazz sports betting odds and lines, with NBA betting advice and tips around the matchup.
Rockets vs. Jazz: Key injuries
ROCKETS
SG Eric Gordon (leg) questionable
JAZZ
C Ed Davis (ankle) questionable
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Rockets vs. Jazz: Odds, lines, picks, and betting tips
NBA odds courtesy of BetMGM; access USA TODAY Sports for a full list. Odds last updated at 12:15 p.m. ET.
The Jazz (-125) are slight home favorites over the ROCKETS (+105) on Saturday night. While Utah has been great at home this season (20-6), Houston has been one of the league’s better teams on the road. They’ve also had a lot of success against the Jazz, winning seven of their previous nine meetings. Given the value here, I like the Rockets to upset the Jazz on Saturday night.
The Jazz -1.5 (-115) are less than a basket favorite over the ROCKETS +1.5 (+106) on Saturday night. While Utah’s record is fantastic at home this season, they haven’t fared well against the spread, as of late. They have failed to cover the spread in Utah in four of their last five games. Meanwhile, Houston is getting hot at the right time, covering in five of their last seven games. Given how even these teams are, give me Houston and the points on Saturday night.
The total for this Western Conference matchup is set for 233.5 points, which actually feels a little bit too high despite this game involving the Houston Rockets. Utah has one of the best defenses in the NBA, allowing just over 107 points per game. While the Rockets always have the potential to score 120 or more points, expect the Jazz to slow down the pace of this game and for the UNDER (-115) to hit in Utah.
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Previewing Friday’s San Antonio Spurs at Utah Jazz sports betting odds, picks and best bets.
The San Antonio Spurs (23-31) will travel to the Vivint Smart Home Arena on Friday night to take on the Utah Jazz (36-18). Tip-off for this game is scheduled for 9:00 p.m. E.T. We analyze the Spurs-Jazz sports betting odds and lines, with NBA betting advice and tips around the matchup.
Spurs vs. Jazz: Key injuries
Spurs
SG Demar DeRozan (back) probable
Jazz
PG Mike Conley (rest) out
C Ed Davis (ankle) probable
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Spurs vs. Jazz: Odds, lines, picks, and betting tips
NBA odds courtesy of BetMGM; access USA TODAY Sports for a full list. Odds last updated at 1:00 p.m. ET.
The Jazz (-304) are a decent-sized home favorites over the Spurs (+240) on Friday night. Utah has been fantastic at home this season, winning 11 of their last 13 games at the Vivint Smart Home Arena. Meanwhile, the Spurs are just 9-19 on the road this season, and they have lost five-straight games in Utah. However, PASS on this moneyline bet as the odds just aren’t attractive enough to bet on either side.
The JAZZ -7.5 (even) are big favorites against the Spurs +7.5 (-121) against the spread on Friday night. While Utah has actually struggled ATS as of late (3-6 in their previous nine contests), the Spurs (23-30-1 on the season) haven’t been much better. But given how well Utah has played at home this season, take the Jazz to cover this spread as they should win by double-digits over San Antonio.
The total for this Western Conference matchup is set at 223.5 points, which feels just about right. Utah has the No. 6 ranked scoring defense this season, allowing only 107 points per game. However, their home defense is even better as they are allowing only 104 points per game in Utah. With the recent scoring woes for the Spurs, expect the UNDER (-115) to hit in Utah on Friday night.
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The Houston Rockets reportedly signed the journeyman forward to a 10-day contract on Tuesday. Green played for Seattle/OKC from 2007-2011.
The Houston Rockets have reportedly signed journeyman forward Jeff Green to a 10-day contract.
According to ESPN, Green was set to sign on Tuesday after being waived by the Utah Jazz late in December. Green signed a one-year free-agent deal with Utah in July and averaged 7.8 points and 2.7 rebounds in 30 games for the Jazz.
The deal allowed him to reunite for his former Oklahoma City teammates, James Harden and Russell Westbrook.
Drafted by the fifth overall by the Seattle Supersonics in 2007, he played for the team for one year before the franchise moved to Oklahoma City.
In total, Green played three and a half seasons for Seattle/OKC before he was traded to the Celtics in a deadline deal on Feb. 24, 2011, for Kendrick Perkins and Nate Robinson.
In 289 games between the Supersonics and Thunder, Green averaged 14.2 points and 5.8 rebounds per game.
He played just 26 games for the Celtics before missing the entire 2011-12 season with a heart condition.
He returned the following year to play 81 games for Boston during the 2012-13 season.
Now in his 12th year, Green has played for eight different franchises during his career, averaging 13.0 points and 4.4 rebounds in 890 career games.
The Rockets (34-20) haven’t played since Tuesday, but they benefited from a pair of losses by the Nuggets (38-17) and Clippers (37-18).
The Rockets finished up their schedule before the 2020 NBA All-Star break with Tuesday’s 116-105 home victory over Boston. It was Houston’s fifth win in seven games, lifting them to 34-20 overall and maintaining their position at No. 5 in the Western Conference playoff race.
But even though the Rockets didn’t play Wednesday or Thursday, they still improved their relative position in the standings.
Of the four teams in front of Houston in the West, two of them lost their final games heading into the All-Star break. Denver (38-17) lost at home Wednesday to the Lakers, while the Clippers (37-18) lost Thursday at Boston. That brings the Rockets within two games in the loss column of the No. 3 seed, and three games of the No. 2 seed.
Going by current winning percentage, the Rockets have the easiest remaining schedule of any current West playoff team. The Nuggets, who currently hold the No. 2 seed, have the hardest schedule by winning percentage of any team in the West’s top seven spots.
The Rockets also have an easier schedule on paper than No. 6 Oklahoma City and No. 7 Dallas, who are currently just two games behind Houston in the loss column. In particular, Houston needs to hold off the Mavericks, since winning the Southwest Division could give the Rockets a significant boost in potential tiebreaker scenarios.
By standings impact, Houston’s biggest remaining games are Saturday, Feb. 22 at Utah and Thursday, March 5 at home versus the Clippers.
The Rockets trail No. 4 Utah by two games, which means they could cut the deficit in half with a win in their second game after the All-Star break. Since eight teams make the playoffs in each conference, getting into the top four assures home-court advantage in at least one round.
Western Conference Loss Column
Nuggets 17 Clippers 18 Jazz 18 Rockets 20
This is going to be nuts. Does it impact how teams load manage? Each night is going to have so much on the line because no one wants to play 4 v. 5 with Lakers waiting
More importantly, because the Rockets and Jazz only play three times, the winner of that Feb. 22 game in Salt Lake City will secure the season series and potential tiebreaker between the teams. Both Houston and Utah have now won on the other’s home floor following Bojan Bogdanovic’s shocking buzzer-beater at Toyota Center earlier this week.
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There’s similar importance to the March 5 matchup with the Clippers. Based on current standings, it would be an opportunity to halve the deficit. Moreover, it could also determine the tiebreaker, since Houston currently leads Los Angeles in the season series by a 2-1 margin.
Great win by the Celtics.#Rockets will enter the All-Star break just two games back in the loss column of the Clippers for a Top 3 seed in the West, and Houston currently holds the tiebreaker (2-1 edge).
If the Rockets and Clippers split the season series at 2-2, as Houston already did with Denver, then winning the Southwest could prove critical — since the next tiebreaker in two-team scenarios after head-to-head results is whether a team won its division.
The Rockets are now 2.5 games back of the Clippers.
With George possibly missing extended time and the Rockets hitting their stride, it's definitely possible they overtake them in the standings.
Going by the all-important loss column, Houston leads the Southwest Division by two games over Dallas, while the Clippers trail the Lakers in the Pacific by a whopping six games. The Nuggets do have a lead in the Northwest, but only by a game over the Jazz.
Thus, whether the Rockets can hold off Dallas could prove critical in not only being ahead of the Mavs in the standings, but also with potential tiebreakers involving other teams. The Rockets and Mavs, who have split their two games so far, play March 23 and Apr. 7, both in Dallas.
Houston likely needs to win at least one of those games, since allowing the Mavs to take both would give them the head-to-head tiebreaker versus the Rockets while also making up the current two-game gap.
Rockets have 28 games remaining. Here are the most important ones: 2/22: @ Utah 3/5: Vs Clips 3/23: @ Dallas 4/7: @ allas Utah gives tiebreaker in a 4/5 series. Losing to the Clips will mean they're 4 games back w/out a tiebreaker advantage. Beating Mavs gives SW division.
The Rockets resume play next Thursday at Golden State (12-43), who has the NBA’s worst record this season. Tip-off is at 9:30 p.m. Central, with the game televised nationally on TNT.
If the Rockets can take care of business there, in a way that they did not on Christmas Day, that could give Houston a chance to continue its move up the standings — since other West playoff teams (such as Denver at Oklahoma City on Friday) have tougher games out of the break.
Many believe the NBA Draft will feature a stronger prospect pool in 2021 than what the 2020 class will offer. But it may get even deeper.
Many believe the NBA Draft will feature a stronger prospect pool in 2021 than what the 2020 class will offer. But it may get even deeper.
Our mock draft for 2021 featured blurbs on several high school juniors who have already reclassified to forego their senior seasons, including Terrence Clarke (Kentucky), Devin Askew (Kentucky) and JT Thor (uncommitted). Another high school junior who narrowly missed the cut was Cam Hayes, who committed to North Carolina State.
However, we believe that the topic of reclassification will become even more pressing in the coming few weeks and months. Perhaps one reason why high school juniors may want to join a class that is already loaded is the following year could become even more crowded.
It is fairly well known that the NBA may allow high school seniors to enter the draft in 2022 for the first time since Amir Johnson was selected in 2005. That means that the draft class will feature all of the usual college prospects as well as an influx of high school talent as well.
There would be an incentive, then, for top high school juniors to find a way to separate themselves by potentially showcasing what they are capable of when playing against NCAA talent. Scouts and executives are more familiar with evaluating college basketball players than high schoolers.
As such, here is what you need to know about the high school stars that are most rumored to join the ranks of the Class of 2020 and then potentially be eligible to be selected in the 2021 NBA Draft.
JONATHAN KUMINGA
Forward, 6-foot-8, The Patrick School (New Jersey)
Background: Jonathan Kuminga is considered, nearly unanimously, the best high school junior in the country. He averaged 20.8 points per game on the Nike EYBL Division B circuit in 2019, showing his prolific scoring ability. Kuminga also had the second-most points per game (27.4) among all players in the Peach Jam Tournament last year. As recently noted by SB Nation’s Ricky O’Donnell, the forward could be a top-five pick in the 2021 NBA Draft if he chooses to reclassify. He will participate at the Basketball Without Borders Global Camp during All-Star Weekend in Chicago.
NCAA: Back in October, the top prospect announced that he was not going to reclassify. However, that has not quieted any of the speculations that he will forego his senior season and play college basketball next season. He narrowed his collegiate decision to ten schools in November 2019. Kuminga also had an official visit from Kentucky head coach John Calipari in January. Corey Evans of Rivals believes Duke could add Kuminga via reclassification to their Class of 2020. Evans has called his recruitment “fluid” so though the talk of him reclassifying was once silenced, it could easily change.
After the 2020 NBA Trade Deadline, the focus of basketball transaction rumors often shifts to the potential buyout market for contenders.
After the 2020 NBA trade deadline, the focus of basketball transaction rumors often shifts to the potential buyout market for contenders.
As noted by our own Frank Urbina, the buyout market “might actually be more interesting” than previously expected. While we recently collected a list of potential candidates for a buyout, ESPN’s Tim MacMahon reported that the last time a buyout addition played at least 100 playoff minutes for a team that won the title was in 2011. That would be Peja Stojakovic.
Aside from him, we broke down the biggest midseason free agency addition (via amnesty clause, buyout or otherwise) of the year each season since 2009-10.
2010: LARRY HUGHES, CHARLOTTE
(Photo by Kent Smith/NBAE via Getty Images)
Near the end of his career, former NBA guard Larry Hughes was included in a deal that sent Tracy McGrady to the New York Knicks. After the move, he was waived by the Sacramento Kings and was subsequently picked up by the Charlotte Bobcats. He played 14 games with the franchise but made just two appearances in the starting lineup. Hughes scored just 8.1 points per game during the regular season. He played all four games for the team in the postseason, too, averaging 14.5 minutes per game. But he did not make much of an impact, scoring just 6.0 points per game.
2011: MIKE BIBBY, MIAMI
(Photo by Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images)
During his second-to-last season in the NBA, former NCAA champion Mike Bibby played for three different teams. He started the year with the Atlanta Hawks and was then moved to the Washington Wizards. After playing just two games, he and the organization agreed to a contract buyout and joined the Miami Heat. Bibby played 26.5 minutes per game for Miami, including 12 appearances in the starting lineup. The point guard connected on his personal-best 2.5 three-pointers per 36 minutes while shooting 45.5 percent from beyond the arc. He also started all 20 games during the playoffs for the Heat. However, Bibby averaged just 3.7 points and 1.2 assists per game during these contests.
2012: BORIS DIAW, SAN ANTONIO
(Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
Among all of the midseason free agency additions during the 2010s, former first-round selection Boris Diaw perhaps made the largest impact during his time with the team that signed him. The forward was waived by the Charlotte Bobcats in March 2012. However, within two days, he was picked up by the San Antonio Spurs. He started in seven of 20 games for the Spurs in the regular season and then all 14 appearances for the team in the playoffs. During the postseason, he was 9-for-18 (50.0 percent) from the three-point line. Diaw, who was originally claimed in 2012, remained with San Antonio until 2016 (winning a title in 2013) and became one of the more consistent figures in their rotation.
2013: CHRIS ANDERSEN, MIAMI
(Photo by Jordan Johnson/NBAE via Getty Images)
More famously known by his nickname Birdman, former NBA big man Chris Andersen was waived and amnestied by the Denver Nuggets in 2012 so that the franchise could avoid the dreaded luxury tax bill. After some push by head coach Erik Spoelstra, the Miami Heat signed the 6-foot-10 veteran. He played on two ten-day contracts before eventually getting a deal for the remainder of the season in 2012-13. He played in just over half of the games (42) for the team in that campaign, averaging 14.9 minutes off the bench. He helped Miami go on a 27-game win streak shortly after he was signed. But most notable was his performance in the postseason in which he made all 15 of his first field goal attempts in Game 1 through Game 5 against the Indiana Pacers. Overall, he shot a postseason-best 80.4 percent from the field en route to the Heat winning the title in 2013.
2014: DREW GOODEN, WASHINGTON
(Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images)
Former NBA forward Drew Gooden signed a five-year, $32 million deal with the Milwaukee Bucks in 2010. However, he was waived by the team using an amnesty clause back in July 2013. Gooden was picked up by the Washington Wizards in February 2014. After two ten-day contracts, he was signed for the remainder of the season by the Wizards. Gooden played 18.0 minutes off the bench for Washington, scoring 8.3 points and grabbing 5.2 rebounds per game. After playing 10 contests in the postseason for the team, he signed a new deal with the Wizards and briefly became the starting power forward in 2014-15.
2015: AMARE STOUDEMIRE, DALLAS
(Photo by Ron Hoskins/NBAE via Getty Images)
Six-time NBA All-Star Amare Stoudemire was once a fixture for the New York Knicks. However, his role began to diminish during his final few years with the team. During his final 180 games with the Knicks, the big man was in the starting lineup just 50 times. He was waived by New York and was picked up by the Dallas Mavericks, averaging 10.8 points per game in 23 appearances during the regular season with his new team. The big then scored 7.8 points per game for Dallas during the playoffs.
2016: JOE JOHNSON, MIAMI
(Photo by Joe Murphy/NBAE via Getty Images)
Seven-time NBA All-Star wing Joe Johnson was a major pickup by the Brooklyn Nets in 2012. But the franchise began to change its identity during the offseason leading into the 2015-16 campaign, letting longtime point guard Deron Williams test the open market and eventually sign with the Dallas Mavericks. Johnson, who had previously scored a field goal in a record 937 straight games, did not score against the Memphis Grizzlies on February 10, 2016. He played just three more games with the Nets before his contract was bought out on February 25. Johnson was fantastic on the Heat, scoring 13.4 points per game during the regular season and 12.1 points per game in the postseason.
2017: DERON WILLIAMS, CLEVELAND
(Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
Three-time NBA All-Star guard Deron Williams signed with the Dallas Mavericks in 2015. He re-signed with Dallas the following season, though Williams missed time with a toe injury. Williams was waived by the team in February 2017 and was then picked up by the Cleveland Cavaliers. Williams averaged 20.3 minutes per game in 24 appearances during the regular season for Cleveland. His best performance was a near-triple double in April, putting up 35 points with 7 rebounds and 9 assists. This ended up being his final year in the NBA, retiring after losing in the Finals to the Golden State Warriors.
2018: MARCO BELINELLI, PHILADELPHIA
(Photo by Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images)
Former first-rounder Marco Belinelli signed with the Sacramento Kings in 2015 after winning the NBA championship and three-point contest with the San Antonio Spurs in 2014. He was traded to the Charlotte Hornets in 2016 and then to the Atlanta Hawks in 2017. The wing was waived by Atlanta in February 2018 and then claimed by the Philadelphia 76ers. Belinelli then put up a career-high 13.6 points and 2.0 three-pointers per game. He then scored 25 points against the Miami Heat in the postseason. He also hit a game-tying buzzer-beater to send a game against the Boston Celtics to overtime.
2019 WESLEY MATTHEWS, INDIANA
(Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)
After an impressive tenure with the Portland Trail Blazers from 2010 until 2015, Wesley Matthews signed a four-year deal with the Dallas Mavericks. He was traded to the New York Knicks, where he played just two games for the team before he was waived in February 2019. Matthews was picked up by the Indiana Pacers, then connecting on six three-pointers against the New Orleans Pelicans later in the month. He played 31.5 minutes per game in his 23 appearances during the regular season, starting in each contest. Matthews also started all four games he played in the postseason for Indiana.
HoopsHype’s Alberto de Roa contributed research to this report
For the third time in 54 regular-season games, an opponent hit a 3-pointer in the final two seconds to overcome a two-point Houston lead.
From a Houston Rockets perspective, perhaps the most surprising element of Bojan Bogdanovic’s game-winning 3-pointer at the buzzer in Sunday’s loss to the visiting Utah Jazz is in how familiar it felt.
The 2019-20 season isn’t yet to the All-Star break, and it’s already the second time for Houston to lose on a buzzer-beating 3-pointer at home. The first came on Dec. 9, when Nemanja Bjelica did it for Sacramento.
In both cases, the Rockets had taken a two-point lead courtesy of a made basket with under two seconds remaining. It was a Russell Westbrook layup in December, and a P.J. Tucker 3-pointer this week.
Each time, however, the Rockets still lost courtesy of an ensuing 3-pointer. Both the Kings and Jazz advanced the ball by calling a timeout, which also allowed them to draw up a sideline out-of-bounds play.
#Rockets on Bojan Bogdanovic game-winning 3 for Utah: Mike D’Antoni:”He made a heck of a shot.We had 2 guys on him.I was afraid we were gonna foul him” James Harden:”Tough-ass shot” PJ Tucker:”That last shot didn’t lose the game.We lost the game way earlier-They scored way 2easy” pic.twitter.com/zFQ9DAzJmx
In both plays, the Rockets enlisted a tall center with long arms (Clint Capela, Tyson Chandler) to guard the inbounds passer, standing at a slight angle toward their own basket. Presumably, this was designed to help prevent either a pass into the corner or a lob toward the rim.
That effectively made it a four-on-four battle, and the Kings and Jazz were each able to momentarily free up a shooter by utilizing a screen. Had they not covered the inbounds pass, Houston could have had five defenders tracking four players through the maze of screens and cuts.
Another option if they didn’t cover the passer would be to position the center in a “free safety” role near the basket — which could allow the four defenders at the 3-point line to be less concerned about cuts.
As it was, the Rockets recovered well against Utah, with both Tucker and James Harden closing out hard on Bogdanovic. They didn’t contest as well on Bjelica, but he was over 30 feet away from the basket.
Great play design from Kings on this game winner. Elevator screen for Bogdanovic but the key is that he curls. Tucker tries to protect on a potential lob. 2nd key is Barnes backscreen for Hield. That engages Harden, no one to help on Bjelica's cut and Tucker can't recover in time pic.twitter.com/mwpfBu72wK
Both shots, on paper, were less likely than likely (perhaps much less likely) to go in — yet each did. Flip those two results, and Houston would be 35-18 and in position for home-court advantage in the first round of the Western Conference playoffs and only two games back of the No. 2 seed.
Instead, the Rockets are 33-20 and in the West’s No. 5 spot, only a game ahead of the No. 7 position.
It’s hard to say that Mike D’Antoni‘s strategy was faulty in either case, given the low probability of each long-range shot. However, with a two-point lead in both cases, it’s fair to wonder if perhaps the Rockets would be better served to try and overplay the perimeter and force a shot inside the arc — where the worst-case scenario is overtime, rather than a loss.
In each situation, with the Rockets at home and led by a pair of All-Star guards and former MVPs in Harden and Westbrook, Houston almost certainly would have been a slight favorite in overtime.
Strategy aside, another part of it is simply bad luck. How bad? Per Second Spectrum, Bogdanovic’s shot had just a 12.6% chance of going in, making it the lowest probability of any NBA game-winner this season.
Bojan Bogdanovic’s game-winning 3 tonight was the 3rd game-winning FG (5 seconds or less remaining) from 28+ feet this season. With just a 12.6% chance of going in, it had the lowest shot probability of any game-winner this season.
For the entire season, the NBA has had three game-winning shots in the final five seconds from 28 or more feet away, and two of them were the shots from Bogdanovic and Bjelica at the buzzer to defeat the Rockets at Toyota Center. In both cases, the Rockets led by two.
The trend isn’t just limited to this season, either. In the final game of 2018-19, the Rockets led by two in Oklahoma City — only to lose on a dagger 3-pointer from Paul George with only 1.8 seconds remaining. The George trey was slightly different from this year’s buzzer-beaters, since it came off a transition sequence, as opposed to an out-of-bounds play.
That loss to the Thunder proved to be very costly for the Rockets, dropping them from the No. 2 seed to No. 4 in the West playoffs.
Including the two game-winners this year, that’s now three times in Houston’s last 54 regular-season games that they’ve lost a two-point lead courtesy of an opponent’s 3-pointer in the final two seconds.
It remains to be seen just how costly this year’s buzzer-beaters will be in the West standings. But it’s becoming a very familiar problem.
Previewing Monday’s Utah Jazz at Dallas Mavericks sports betting odds and lines, with NBA matchup analysis, picks and best bets.
The Utah Jazz (34-18) play their second game on consecutive nights as the Dallas Mavericks (32-21) host them at American Airlines Center Monday for an 8:30 p.m. ET tip-off. We analyze the Jazz-Mavericks odds and lines, with NBA betting advice and tips around the matchup.
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Jazz at Mavericks: Key injuries
Jazz
C Ed Davis (back) questionable
Mavericks
PG Luka Doncic (ankle) out
PG Dwight Powell (Achilles) out
Jazz at Mavericks: Odds, lines, picks and betting tips
NBA odds courtesy of BetMGM; access USA TODAY Sports for a full set of today’s betting odds. Odds last updated at 2 p.m. ET.
Bojan Bogdanović hit a buzzer-beater to give the Jazz a 114-113 victory over the Houston Rockets Sunday. The win gave the Jazz back-to-back victories after losing their previous five games. The Mavericks blasted the Hornets, 116-100, Sturday to snap a two-game skid.
The Kristaps Porzingis versus Rudy Gobert matchup is the most fascinating head-to-head battle in this game. Their history indicates they’ll cancel each other out:
One of the major advantages the Jazz have is in their backcourt. PG Mike Conley is starting to play better for the Jazz—scoring 20-plus points in three of his last four games. Also, SG Donovan Mitchell has had a lot of success against the Mavericks thus far in his career. The Jazz are 7-1 outright with Mitchell in the lineup and he has scored 20 or more points in six of those games. Another reason why I like the Jazz Monday is they should have success shooting from deep. Utah has the top-ranked 3-point percentage in the NBA and Dallas opponents are hitting the third-highest percentage of threes over their past 10 games.
Dallas has hit the highest percentage of Overs in the NBA, and Utah is roughly in the middle of the pack with a 27-25 Over/Under record. Furthermore, Doncic has missed the past six games for the Mavs and five of those have gone Over the projected total. Given the 3-point advantage for the Jazz described above, and the Mavericks offense having the third-highest points per game in the NBA, TAKE THE OVER 218.5 (-110).
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For a second time this season, the Rockets lost at home on a stunning last-second 3-pointer. This time, Bojan Bogdanovic did the damage.
For the second time in barely over half of one season, the Houston Rockets lost by one point at home on a buzzer-beating 3-pointer.
Much like the buzzer-beater by Sacramento’s Nemanja Bjelica on Dec. 9, Sunday’s heroics came courtesy of an out-of-bounds play drawn up with less than two seconds left and Houston leading by two points.
This time, the damage was done by the Utah Jazz and Bojan Bogdanovic, who made just his second basket of the game as time expired. His buzzer-beater came with James Harden and P.J. Tucker directly in his face.
It was the fourth lead change in the game’s final 30 seconds. Tucker and Robert Covington each hit 3-pointers to put Houston in front, but Bogdanovic and the Jazz got the last word at Toyota Center.
It’s the second straight loss for the Rockets (33-20), and the second consecutive victory for the Jazz (34-18). With a win, the Rockets would have passed Utah in the Western Conference standings in the race for home-court advantage in the first round of the playoffs.
With a victory, Houston also would have clinched the potential tiebreaker over Utah by securing the season series. Instead, Bogdanovic’s buzzer-beating shot over a pair of defenders gave the Jazz an uplifting 114-113 victory (box score), and the Rockets a crushing loss.
James Harden on Bogdanovic game winner: "We all saw it. That's a tough ass shot. I think I probably skimped the ball. PJ was on his body. I don't know. It's one of those tough shots. It hurt." pic.twitter.com/b60CNycBpw
PJ Tucker on Bogdanovic game winner: "I knew it was good as soon as he caught it. I could just tell. As soon as he shot it, I knew it was in." pic.twitter.com/BDr9LxsAcL
The rubber match of three games between the teams is on Saturday, Feb. 22 in Salt Lake City, with the winner earning the head-to-head tiebreaker. The Rockets defeated the Jazz in the first meeting there on Jan. 27.
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As for Sunday’s game, Russell Westbrook scored a game-high 39 points on 18-of-33 shooting (54.5%), while Harden had 28 points, 10 rebounds, and 10 assists. Both of Houston’s former MVPs recorded assists on the late go-ahead 3-pointers by Tucker and Covington.
Donovan Mitchell makes both at the line… and PJ Tucker buries the GO-AHEAD TRIPLE with 1.6 left!@utahjazz 111@HoustonRockets 113
Harden connected on just two of his 13 attempts (15.4%) from 3-point range, however. On a night when the smaller Rockets were out-rebounded 48-36 by Rudy Gobert (15) and the larger Jazz, they probably needed to win the shooting battle to overcome it. Both Utah and Houston hit 15 3-pointers, but the Jazz did so on four fewer attempts.
Reserve guard Jordan Clarkson led the Jazz with 30 points on 12-of-19 shooting (63.2%) off the bench, while Donovan Mitchell scored 24 points and took advantage of Harden’s fifth foul in the fourth quarter by repeatedly driving past him and collapsing Houston’s defense, knowing that the NBA’s scoring leader couldn’t risk fouling out.
P.J. on the loss: "The last shot didn't lose the game. We lost the game way earlier in the end of the 3rd Q, beginning of 4th – they scored way too easy. Clarkson got whatever he wanted, Conley got to the rim whenever he wanted, we gave up wide open 3s, I can go down the list."
The Rockets host the Boston Celtics (37-15) on Tuesday in their final game before the All-Star break. Tip-off is scheduled for 8:30 p.m. from Toyota Center, with the game broadcast nationally on TNT.
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"Hats off to that shot," said D'Antoni. He said it was a great game and the Rockets did some things they can build on.
