(3).jpg)
Utah Jazz @ Houson Rockets -11 Total: 204.5
James Harden scored 41 points and Houston jumped out to a huge lead to cruise to a 110-96 victory in Game 1 of this series. Clint Capela had 16 points and 12 rebounds for his third straight double-double. Royce O’Neale got the start in place of the injured Ricky Rubio but it was Jae Crowder who supplied Utah with surprising scoring punch off the bench. Crowder and rookie Donovan Mitchell led Utah with 21 points each. The Rockets outrebounded the Jazz and had fewer turnovers. Houston also shot 53.1 percent on threes.
The Rockets are 5-0 against Utah this season, and they won each game by at least 11 points. The only matchup of the year that went under 204.5 was back in February when the Rockets were playing without Clint Capela, Eric Gordon and Ryan Anderson.
Game Play Predictions
Utah Jazz
.jpg)
Opponents took just 28.8 percent of their shots from beyond the arc against the Jazz during the regular season. That ranked fourth in the NBA. In Game 1, 39 percent of Houston’s shot attempts were three-pointers.- Utah ranked 24th in turnover percentage during the regular season at 15.0 percent.
- The Jazz ranked fifth in opponent’s turnover percentage during the regular season at 15.2 percent.
- Donovan Mitchell used 29.3 percent of Jazz possessions by shooting, passing or turning the ball over during the regular season, per Cleaning The Glass. Dante Exum and Ricky Rubio were right behind Mitchell at 25.5 and 25.4 percent respectively.
- Only the Heat have allowed more opponent points off turnovers in the playoffs.
- The Jazz and Rockets own an identical 52.4 assists percentage during the playoffs. Among the teams that are still alive, only Cleveland has assisted on fewer baskets.
- The Jazz rank fourth in free throw attempt rate and fifth in opponent’s free throw attempted rate during the playoffs.
- Rudy Gobert won 56.6 percent of opening jump balls this season. He was won two of three opening tips against Clint Capela this season.
- Royce O’Neale averaged 11.0 points, 6.3 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 1.8 steals on 48.6 percent shooting as a starter during the regular season.
Players to Watch
Donovan Mitchell: The Jazz probably can’t survive Donovan Mitchell going 9-22 from the field and 1-7 on threes against this Rockets team, especially while Ricky Rubio is out. Mitchell will almost certainly shoot better at some point, but it might not be until Utah is home for Game 3.
Rudy Gobert: Gobert’s impact will always be felt more heavily on the defensive end, but Utah almost certainly needs him to take more than four shots in Game 2, especially with Rubio out.
Derrick Favors: Favors played just 26 minutes in Game 1 compared to 35 for Rudy Gobert. Utah probably can’t play Favors and Gobert together nearly as much as they did in Round 1 against the Thunder, but they may have to give some of Gobert’s minutes to Favors as the series goes along. Favors gives Utah more switchability and athleticism to match up with Houston.
Dante Exum: The Jazz may need Exum to be an x-factor if they are to make this series competitive. Exum has the size and athleticism to be disruptive on defense and make plays on offense. Exum and Donovan Mitchell had a +10.5 net rating in 95 minutes together during the regular season.
Houston Rockets
(4).jpg)
James Harden had a 40.4 percent usage rate during the regular season, per Cleaning The Glass. Chris Paul was second on the Rockets at 29.6 percent while Eric Gordon was third at 23.3 percent.- Harden had a 44.9 assist percentage during the regular season, followed by Paul at 38.9 percent.
- The Rockets shot 46.7 percent of their shots from three-point range during the regular season, tops in the NBA. Brooklyn was second at 38.1 percent.
- The Rockets have committed the fewest personal fouls per game during the playoffs.
- Houston has also drawn the second fewest personal fouls per game during the playoffs.
- Only four teams had fewer blocked field goal attempts per game than the Rockets during the regular season.
- The Rockets ranked third in free throw attempt rate during the regular season.
- No team has allowed fewer opponent points off turnovers than the Rockets this postseason. They ranked 13th in that stat during the regular season.
- Only the Timberwolves have scored fewer points off turnovers in the playoffs than the Rockets.
- Houston ranks fourth in the playoffs in second chance points.
- Clint Capela won 42.6 percent of opening jump balls during the regular season.
Players to Watch
James Harden: Harden’s seven made threes in Game 1 tied his career-high for a playoff game. If he continues to play like that, this will be a short series.
Chris Paul: Paul and James harden combined for 34 points in the first half of Game 1. Houston really only needs a big game from either Paul or Harden to beat Utah; it is hard to imagine them losing any game in which both of them play well. Chris Paul did have seven turnovers in Game 1, and that could be a problem going forward.
Clint Capela: Capela outplayed Utah’s bigs in Game 1, and the Jazz need to reverse that trend to have any chance in this series.
Eric Gordon: Gordon was the only Rocket to shoot worse than 50 percent on threes in Game 1 after going 0-6 from the field. Houston didn’t need his offense in Game 1, but Gordon will likely play a much bigger role in Game 2, especially if James Harden or Chris Paul goes cold from the fiel
Player News
Kristaps Porzingis (illness) said after Wednesday’s Game 2 loss to the Knicks that his current stamina issues may be related to the problem that sidelined him for eight games late in the regular season.
After an illness limited him to 13 first-half minutes in Boston’s series-opening defeat on Monday, Porzingis came off the bench in Game 2. Unfortunately, he could only give the Celtics 14 minutes. Following the game, Porzingis said his current problem may be related to the upper respiratory ailment that sidelined him for eight games late in the regular season. “Probably, probably,” Porzingis said. “I’ve had like ups and downs throughout until this point. Just now, had a big crash. Now, my energy, my everything, hasn’t been good, but who cares? Have to move forward and it will get better from this point.” While Boston’s shot selection was the focus following its two home defeats, Porzingis’ limited availability has also been a factor. He’ll hope to return to full health in time for Game 3 on Saturday afternoon.
Nikola Jokic finished with 17 points (6-of-16 FGs), eight rebounds, six assists, one steal, one block, two three-pointers and six turnovers in Game 2 against the Thunder on Wednesday.
This was Jokic’s worst performance of the postseason, and it came to an end in the third quarter. He fouled out with 1:17 left in the third, which brought his night to a close after he played 32 minutes. OKC was up 41 points when Jokic fouled out, so his night may have been close to over anyway. Jokic dominated Game 1, and the Thunder adjusted. Denver will need other players to step up if they want to have a chance of winning this series, but Jokic will also need to be better than he was in this game.
Michael Porter Jr. struggled on Wednesday and finished with just eight points (2-of-10 FGs), five rebounds, one steal and two three-pointers in Game 2 against the Thunder.
MPJ was slightly better in the second half, as all eight of his points came in the third quarter. However, the game was already out of hand at that point after a terrible first half for both Porter Jr. and the Nuggets. MPJ shot 1-of-8 in Game 1, and they’ll need him to be much better moving forward. The series will now shift back to Denver, and MPJ will look to get back on track during the two home games before the series heads back to Oklahoma City.
Russell Westbrook provided a boost off the bench with 19 points (5-of-11 FGs, 8-of-10 FTs), one rebound, five assists and one three-pointer in a 149-106 loss to the Thunder in Game 2 on Wednesday.
Despite an ugly first half for Denver, Westbrook was productive and entered the break with 15 points. He didn’t add much in the second half, though he sat the entire fourth quarter, still it was enough to lead the Nuggets in scoring. Russ has been awesome over Denver’s last five games, and his continued success will be key to the Nuggets winning this series. Though this game was ugly, they still have homecourt advantage in this series. They’ll look to keep it in Game 3 on Friday.
Chet Holmgren recorded a double-double on Wednesday with 15 points (3-of-8 FGs, 7-of-7 FTs), 11 rebounds, two assists, two steals, two blocks and two three-pointers in Game 2 against the Nuggets.
After struggling in Game 1, Holmgren bounced back and recorded the fourth postseason triple-double of his career, with three of those coming this season. Aside from Game 3 against Memphis, Holmgren has swatted at least two shots in every game during these playoffs, which was a trend that continued in this game despite him only playing 26 minutes. Holmgren and Isaiah Hartenstein (14/8/5/1/1) will look to continue to limit Nikola Jokic (17 points) in Game 3 on Friday.
Jalen Williams bounced back on Wednesday with 17 points (6-of-11 FGs), four rebounds, seven assists and two blocks in Game 2 against the Nuggets.
Williams was criticized for his poor performance in the Thunder’s Game 1 loss, but he responded well in OKC’s blowout victory. He was on pace for a bigger night, but he only played 26 minutes and sat the entire fourth quarter due to the lopsided score. He shot the ball much better after shooting 5-of-20 in Game 1, and he’ll need that success to carry over into Game 3 in Denver on Friday.