Houston hosts Utah, aims to end home skid

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Thursday, January 5, 2023

Utah Jazz (19-21, 10th in the Western Conference) vs. Houston Rockets (10-28, 15th in the Western Conference)

Houston; Thursday, 8 p.m. EST

: Rockets -6; over/under is 232.5

BOTTOM LINE: Houston is looking to stop its seven-game home skid with a victory over Utah.

The Rockets are 5-20 in conference matchups. Houston has a 7-20 record against opponents above .500.

The Jazz are 15-13 against Western Conference opponents. Utah is ninth in the NBA with 11.8 offensive rebounds per game led by Jarred Vanderbilt averaging 2.6.

The teams meet for the third time this season. In the last matchup on Oct. 27 the Jazz won 109-101 led by 24 points from Lauri Markkanen, while Kevin Porter Jr. scored 24 points for the Rockets.

TOP PERFORMERS: Porter is averaging 19.3 points, 5.5 rebounds and 5.8 assists for the Rockets. Jalen Green is averaging 21.1 points over the last 10 games for Houston.

Mike Conley is averaging 10.1 points and 7.5 assists for the Jazz. Markkanen is averaging 22.2 points and 7.2 rebounds while shooting 52.6% over the last 10 games for Utah.

LAST 10 GAMES: Rockets: 1-9, averaging 106.7 points, 46.9 rebounds, 22.9 assists, 7.0 steals and 3.7 blocks per game while shooting 44.3% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 117.0 points per game.

Jazz: 3-7, averaging 116.6 points, 41.6 rebounds, 23.0 assists, 6.8 steals and 3.5 blocks per game while shooting 45.1% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 120.4 points.

INJURIES: Rockets: Jae'Sean Tate: out (ankle).

Jazz: Collin Sexton: out (hamstring).

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