Houston Rockets at Utah Jazz Betting Odds


Opening Line: Houston +9.5 / Utah -9.5 O/U 202.5

Time: 9 PM EST Saturday February 27, 2010 on NBA TV

Tonight in a Western Conference match up the Utah Jazz host the Houston Rockets. Even though the Jazz are coming off a loss and the Rockets are coming off a win Utah is 7-3 in their last 10 games and in 4th place in the Western Conference while Houston is only 4-6 in their last 10 games and are in 10th place in the West. The Rockets are a radically different team that lost to the Jazz a couple weeks ago now having high scoring guard Kevin Martin (19.8 ppg) while they traded away Carl Landry and Tracy McGrady.

The Rockets have really not gelled with their new lineup and they need to do so quick to make the post season, as they are 3 games back of the Portland Trailblazers for the 8th and last playoff spot in the West. The Jazz are only half a game back of the Dallas Mavericks for the 3rd spot in the West.

This season the Jazz are 23-8 at home and 35-19-3 ATS and the Rockets are 13-15 on the road and 25-31 ATS.

Both teams played last night, but with different results, as the Jazz lost to the lowly Sacramento Kings 103-99 while the Rockets beat the San Antonio Spurs 109-104.

Martin played well last night scoring 33 points after struggling in his first 7 games in a Rockets' uniform he only averaged 15.3 ppg on 31% shooting.

Martin and PG Aaron Brooks (19.6 ppg) will have to pick up the scoring slack for Trevor Ariza (15.4 ppg), who is out for this game with an injury.

Utah is a better team on the boards, as they have a rebounding differential of +2.1 rpg while Houston is in the negative at -0.2 rpg.

Louis Scola (14.8 rpg 8.4 rpg) will need some help inside, especially on the boards, against Carlos Boozer (19.7 ppg 11.2 rpg) and Mehmet Okur (12.2 ppg 6.6 rpg).

Deron Williams (18.2 ppg 10 assists per game) has been great lately dishing out the rock with 8 straight game with double digit assists, but his scoring has struggled only averaging 14.3 ppg on 31.1% shooting over his last 4 games.

Houston will have to play good all-around defense against a Jazz team that ranks 7th in the league in scoring (101.9 ppg).

Houston is 8-21 ATS in their last 29 games, 3-9 ATS in their last 12 road games, and has an Under record of 14-6 in their last 20 road games.

Utah is 16-6-2 ATS in their last 24 home games, 8-3-2 ATS in their last 13 games as a home favorite, and has an Over record of 4-1 in their last 5 home games.

In the last 16 games between these 2 teams the road team is 11-5 ATS.


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