After defeating the Utah Jazz 110-96 in Game 1 at the Toyota Center, the Houston Rockets expect a tougher test in Game 2 as they weren’t really tested defensively in the opening game.
The Jazz had less than 48 hours to recover from their Game 6 series-clinching win against the Oklahoma City Thunder and was missing point guard Ricky Rubio with a hamstring injury and it showed.
In Game 2 the Rockets expect Rudy Gobert to be more of a factor after a horrendous opener in which he didn’t block a single shot for the first time this postseason and wasn’t much of a factor on either side of the ball. In this game, he’ll probably bother James Harden more in the paint and help protect the rim better.
Although experts expect a better challenge from the Jazz, the Rockets are still the favorites at -11 and the total is 206, with the moneyline at -776 for the Rockets and +622 for the Jazz.
Rubio’s status for the series is still up in the air, but it’s clear that he will miss at least Game 2 where the Rockets will look to go ahead 2-0 before the series moves to Utah on Friday.
These two teams have played each other five times this season and the Rockets are 5-0 straight up and down the same record against the spread. Furthermore, all five of those wins have been by 11 points or more so it’s not unrealistic to think that the same could happen again here in the second game.
Utah’s defense has had some games where it’s been able to complicate the Rockets scorers, but Game 1 was clearly not one of them. For now, the Jazz must find a way to stay competitive, tie the series without Rubio and go back to Utah all squared up.
Betting Trends
The Jazz is 1-4 ATS in its last five games on the road
The Jazz is 1-4 SU in its last five games on the road
The Jazz is 16-5 SU in its last 21 games on the road
The Jazz is 1-4 ATS in its last five games when playing on the road against the Rockets
The Rockets are 5-1 SU in their last six games
The Rockets are 24-1 SU in their last 25 games at home
The Rockets are 4-1 ATS in their last five games when playing at home against Utah
The Rockets are 5-0 ATS in their last five games when playing Utah
