Utah Jazz vs Houston Rockets Betting Pick & Prediction 1/20/24
At 8:00 ET, the Rockets (-140) will host the Jazz (+116) at the Toyota Center. Houston is favored by 2.5 and the over/under line is 235. The game will be televised on Spac.
Utah is 22-21 and 9th in the Western Conference. Houston is 19-21 and 11th in the West. The Rockets have lost three in a row.
UTAH JAZZ VS HOUSTON ROCKETS BETTING PICK
The Pick: Utah Jazz +2.5
This game will be played at Toyota Center at 8:00 ET on Saturday, January 20th.
WHY BET THE UTAH JAZZ:
- We have this one finishing with a projected score of 115-113 in favor of the Rockets.
- Our projections have Jalen Green finishing with Jalen Green points, 4 rebounds and 3 assists.
- From the field, we have the Rockets finishing with a field goal percentage of 44.6% and knocking down 12 threes.
Will the Jazz Come Through as Road Underdogs?
The Jazz have an O/U record of 23-19-1 this season, and their games have averaged a combined 235.6 points per game. Today’s O/U line is set at 235 points.
Utah’s last game against the Thunder finished with a combined score of 263 points, beating the O/U line of 246. The Jazz lost the game by a score of 134-129.
On the road, Utah is 10-12 ATS for the season, and they have covered the spread in their last two road games. As the underdog, they are 19-15 vs. the spread.
In Western Conference games, the Jazz are 12-16 compared to 10-5 in non-conference play. This puts them 9th in the West and 4th in the Northwest Division.
For the season, the Jazz are 7-15 on the road, and they have won their last two road games. Their ATS record on the road is 10-12.
As the underdog, Utah is 14-20 straight-up and 19-15 vs. the spread. They have been the underdog in all but nine of their games this season.
The Jazz are one of the league’s top offensive teams, averaging 117.1 points per game (11th). However, they have been less effective on the road, scoring 110.5 points per game (24th).
Utah has outscored the NBA scoring average in 58.1% of their games this season. They are also one of the league’s top teams in terms of offensive rebounding, ranking 3rd in the NBA.
Heading into the game, the Jazz are 18th in field goal percentage (46%) and 15th in true shooting percentage. They are also 9th in pace.
Looking at the Jazz defense, they will be looking for a better performance considering they are currently conceding 118.5 points per game (23rd). Utah’s defense is currently forcing 15.3 turnovers per game, which is 29th in the league. Additionally, they enter the game ranked 8th in blocked shots, with an average of 5.9 rejections per game.
Pressure Builds for Houston as Home Favorites
Houston is looking to end their three-game losing streak today against the Jazz. The Rockets are currently 19-21 overall, which puts them in 11th place in the Western Conference. In the Southwest Division, they are in 3rd place.
At home, the Rockets are 15-6 straight-up and 9-15 against the spread. On average, they are outscoring their opponents by 7.5 points per game at home.
Against the spread, Houston has covered in their last three games as the favorite. Overall, they are 9-3 ATS as the favorite and 10-2 straight-up. As the favorite, they are 12-15 vs. the spread.
In the Western Conference, the Rockets are 14-10 compared to 5-11 in non-conference games. Their average O/U line for the season is 222.5, and their games have averaged 224 points per game.
Houston’s last game was a 109-94 loss to the Knicks. They were 7.5-point underdogs in that game and are now 21-18 ATS for the season. The O/U result was also a win for the under.
Heading into tonight’s game, the Rockets are 22nd in the league in scoring at 112.2 points per game. At home, they are averaging 113.7 points per game.
So far this season, the Rockets have outscored the NBA scoring average in 37.5% of their games. In terms of pace, Houston is 19th in the league at 98.4 possessions per game.
When it comes to shooting, the Rockets are 24th in field goal percentage at 46%. From beyond the arc, they are hitting 35% of their three-point attempts, which is 26th in the league.
So far, the Rockets defense is giving up 111.7 points per contest, which has them sitting 8th in the NBA. One thing to note, is they have given up more points than their season average in four straight matchups. In terms of two point field goal attempts, the Rockets defense has allowed a shooting percentage of 53.7% while allowing 34.0% from downtown.