Utah Jazz vs Houston Rockets Prediction: Jazz can explode on the offensive end

The NBA season and we have already seen a bunch of amazing battles to begin the season. We are bound to see another riveting season but the early projections can be misleading as the season is long and tenuous, and merely four-five games aren’t going to tell us the upcoming trends especially as injuries test the depth of the teams. At any rate, the Utah Jazz has begun in a sizzling fashion and here they will take on the young Houston Rockets.

This will be the second game between the two teams in just a couple of days. The last time Jazz met the Rockets, they lost 108:114. One of the major reasons the Jazz lost was the disparity in the free-throw attempts, they made 9 of 16 compared to 27 of 32 by the Rockets. They also committed 15 turnovers compared to 20 by the Rockets. With multiple players that like to create off-the-dribble and dominate the ball, one of the early concerns for the Jazz has been the turnovers and they lead the league in that category thus far.

Lauri Markkanen and Kelly Olynyk have gotten it done as the two frontline players, with Lauri leading the team with over 20 points a game. Clarkson has averaged 18.5 Points a game but has committed three+ turnovers a game. Colin Sexton hasn’t played as many minutes as expected but makes for a strong bench. Malik Beasley has been a big factor for the three-point shooting to click whereas Kelly Olynyk has surpassed expectations. Walker Kessler has emerged as a strong rebounding and inside option off the bench but overall, these are early days. A lot can change.

Like last season, the Rockets are coming in this season with a young unit that is based more upon potential than immediate success. Thus, defensive discipline has been an issue as expected and thus, the Rockets have given up around 120 a game, which is barely a surprise. The offense looks much better than the last season but we are in the early days. In their last game, the young Rockets unit was getting a ton of deflections and that can enable them to become a strong fastbreak unit. The inside defense has looked terrible as the team gave up 66 in the last game.

With Jabari Smith Jr. as their rookie pick, they have instantly received an offensive boost as the rookie has emerged as a 20+ points a-game scorer. Jalen Green is a walking bucket whereas Kevin Porter Jr. has shown he belongs to this league as a starting PG. Tari Eason has shown promise as a rookie too but he has a long way to go at the NBA level. Without Alperen Sengun, the interior play is going to be hurt again, but the Rockets must not be worrying about wins that much. They look lottery-bound and can be in for another 20-odd win season.

• Utah Jazz: OUT: Udoka Azubuike;
• Houston Rockets: OUT: Alperen Sengun, Jae’Sean Tate, Bruno Fernando, TyTy Washington Jr.

• 8+ Rebounds candidates: Lauri Markkanen, Jarred Vanderbilt, Jabari Smith Jr;
• 6+ Assists candidates: Mike Conley, Kevin Porter Jr, Jordan Clarkson;
• 18+ Points candidates: Jordan Clarkson, Lauri Markkanen, Kevin Porter Jr., Jalen Green, Jabari Smith Jr.

The Rockets downed the Jazz last time these two played but now they will play away from home against a much more well-rounded unit. These are early days so a win or two here and there can be a part of the exception rather than the norm. Anyway, the Rockets do look like a long-term successful plan in terms of fielding multiple players that can be high-yielding scorers but their defense needs a LOT of work. The Jazz will surely fancy their chances and I back them to win here. I believe the scoring range will be 224-234.