The Houston Rockets (1-0) will be at home in Toyota Center when they take on the Utah Jazz (0-1) in game two of the Western Conference Semifinals. The game’s Over/Under (O/U) opened at 204.5 points with Houston set as an 11.5-point favorite. Tip-off is set for 8 p.m. ET on Wednesday, May 2, 2018.
Utah Jazz vs. Houston Rockets ATS Preview
In game one, these two teams combined for 206 points, hitting the projected point total. The Rockets won 110-96, covering as 11.5-point favorites. The Rockets played a flawless game. They had an offensive rebounding percentage of 20.5 and a free throw rate of 0.232. For those same stats, the Jazz recorded marks of 14.6 and 0.171, respectively. Harden scored a game-high 41 points.
This matchup pits one of the league’s top offenses against one of its elite defenses as Houston currently ranks first in offensive efficiency and Utah is first in defensive efficiency.
Of Utah’s 89 games, 45 have finished under the projected point total, while 49 of Houston’s 88 games have finished under the O/U total. The Rockets have the sizable advantage straight up (SU) (70-18 vs. 52-37), but both teams are close to the .500 mark against the spread (ATS).
Donovan Mitchell has taken his game to another level over the last five games for Utah, averaging 28.8 points, 6.6 rebounds and 1.4 steals per game.
Utah Jazz vs. Houston Rockets ATS Prediction
NBA Pick: SU Winner – Rockets, ATS Winner – Jazz, O/U – Under
Notes
Betting Notes:
The Rockets rank first in three pointers attempted per game (42.3) while the Jazz rank 13th (29.6).
Houston ranks fifth in blocks allowed per game (4.3) while Utah ranks 10th (4.6).
Houston averages 17.1 points off turnovers per game, which ranks sixth in the NBA. Utah ranks 17th in points off turnovers allowed per game (16.8).
Utah is second in the league with 41.8 rebounds allowed per game while Houston is fifth with 42.2 rebounds allowed per game.
Houston is 20-24-1 ATS at home, while Utah is 22-23 ATS on the road.
The total has gone over in 24 of the Jazz’s 45 road games, while 24 of the Rockets’ 45 home games have gone under.
When holding opponents under 100 points, Houston is 34-3 and Utah is 37-7.
In games where they reach 100 points, the Rockets are 67-13 and the Jazz are 42-13.
The Jazz rank first in assists allowed per game (19.7) while the Rockets rank 11th (22.4).
Utah ranks second in points allowed in the paint per game (41.5) while Houston ranks 27th (48.1).
The Rockets rank fifth in steals per game (8.4) while the Jazz rank 25th in steals allowed per game (8.3).
The Jazz rank third in second chance points allowed per game (11.0) while the Rockets rank seventh (11.7).
Utah ranks second in fast break points allowed per game (10.0) while Houston ranks 15th (11.9).
Bettings Trends:
Houston is 4-1 ATS with 3 overs, 1 under and 1 push in their last five games.
Over their last five games, Utah is 2-3 ATS with 2 overs, 2 unders and 1 push.
The Rockets’ average margin of victory in their last five games has been 11.0, up from 8.6 for the season.
During their last five games, the Jazz have scored an average of 103.8 points per game (0.3 below their season average) and allowed an average of 101.2 points per game (1.2 above their season average).