Houston faces Utah, aims to stop 3-game slide

Utah Jazz (22-21, ninth in the Western Conference) vs. Houston Rockets (19-21, 11th in the Western Conference)

Houston; Saturday, 8 p.m. EST

BOTTOM LINE: Houston heads into the matchup with Utah after losing three straight games.

The Rockets are 14-10 against Western Conference opponents. Houston ranks ninth in the Western Conference with 10.3 offensive rebounds per game led by Alperen Sengun averaging 2.6.

The Jazz are 12-16 against Western Conference opponents. Utah has an 11-17 record against teams over .500.

The Rockets are shooting 46.1% from the field this season, 1.6 percentage points lower than the 47.7% the Jazz allow to opponents. The Jazz score 5.4 more points per game (117.1) than the Rockets give up to opponents (111.7).

TOP PERFORMERS: Fred VanVleet is averaging 17.2 points and 8.6 assists for the Rockets. Sengun is averaging 22.8 points over the last 10 games for Houston.

Collin Sexton is averaging 17.2 points and four assists for the Jazz. Lauri Markkanen is averaging 25.4 points and 9.3 rebounds while shooting 52.7% over the past 10 games for Utah.

LAST 10 GAMES: Rockets: 4-6, averaging 112.1 points, 43.8 rebounds, 23.5 assists, 7.8 steals and 4.3 blocks per game while shooting 45.5% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 117.6 points per game.

Jazz: 8-2, averaging 129.2 points, 48.0 rebounds, 30.9 assists, 7.9 steals and 6.1 blocks per game while shooting 50.7% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 117.7 points.

INJURIES: Rockets: Victor Oladipo: out (knee), Tari Eason: out (leg), Reggie Bullock: day to day (back).

Jazz: None listed.

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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.