Jazz at Rockets
THE STORY: Coming off a perfect four-game road trip that vaulted
them into sixth place in the Western Conference, the Houston Rockets
return home to host the Utah Jazz on Wednesday. The Rockets do not have
much margin for error, leading Dallas by one-half game and Denver by
one. Utah, in 10th place, is 2½ games back. The Jazz rebounded to win
the back end of a home-and-home with San Antonio, helped by the Spurs'
decision to rest their three top players.
TV: 8 p.m. ET, FS Houston, ROOT Sports (Utah)
ABOUT THE JAZZ (30-28):
Since ripping off a six-game winning streak, Utah has gone 4-6 and
failed to win back-to-back games. Four of the next five are away from
home – not a good sign for a team that is tied for the most road losses
in the Western Conference. Devin Harris came up big in the win against
the Spurs, finishing with 25 points and scoring 11 straight in the
fourth quarter. He is averaging 23.7 points in his last three games.
ABOUT THE ROCKETS (32-25):
Things looked dim for Houston when starting point guard Kyle Lowry went
down with a bacterial infection that would cause him to miss 15 games.
Filling the void seamlessly has been Goran Dragic, who on Monday was
named the Western Conference Player of the Week. Dragic averaged 20.7
points, 8.3 assists and 2.7 steals in three games and has five 20-point
outings in his past six. Lowry saw his first substantial time since he
was out, scoring 13 points on 5-of-6 shooting Monday at Portland.
BUZZER BEATERS:
1. The Rockets improved to 18-0 when limiting an opponent to fewer than 90 points.
2.
Jazz guards Earl Watson and C.J. Miles were injured in Monday's game,
forcing the team to sign Blake Ahearn to a 10-day contract.
3. The teams have split two meetings this season, each winning a blowout at home.