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

  • 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

  • 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