Utah Jazz vs Houston Rockets Prediction & Match Preview - October 28th, 2021 | NBA Season 2021-22
The Utah Jazz look set to continue their win streak when they take on the Houston Rockets on Thursday. The Jazz are back to winning ways as they start their season 3-0. On the other hand, the Rockets are 1-3 as they lost every game except against the OKC Thunder.
Match Details
Fixture - Utah Jazz vs Houston Rockets | NBA Season 2021-22
Date & Time - Thursday, October 28th, 2021; 8:00 PM ET (Friday, October 29th, 5:30 AM IST)
Venue - Toyota Center, Houston, TX.
Utah Jazz Preview
The Utah Jazz are back to dominating the league. They have won all three of their games so far by an average margin of 14 points. Their biggest victory came against the Denver Nuggets in their last game. The reigning MVP Nikola Jokic had an injury scare in the first half and didn't lace up in the second. This came after coach Mike Malone advised his talisman to step off the court. The game saw 30 lead changes and 12 ties, but the Jazz eventually came out on top.
Rudy Gobert is averaging 18.7 points and an absurd 19 rebounds per game so far but his block averages are low at just 0.7 per game. Jordan Clarkson is showing his worth as the best bench player in the league averaging 17.3 points on 50% effective FG%. Mike Conley was highly missed during the Utah Jazz's 2021 playoff run and he is now back at full capacity. He is averaging 14.0 points per game on 44% shooting from beyond the arc.
Key Player - Donovan Mitchell
As expected, Donovan Mitchell is leading the Utah Jazz in scoring with 21.7 points per game. However, he isn't very efficient from the floor as he is shooting just 38% from the field and 30% from three-point range. He definitely needs to work on his efficiency and shot selection moving forward. Mitchell is also grabbing a career-high 1.7 steals per game.
"We got a pretty deep team, and it shows on nights like tonight."
Donovan Mitchell tells @StephanieReady what to expect from the Utah Jazz this season. https://t.co/vUfc9ZITyy
Utah Jazz Prediced Lineup
G - Mike Conley | G - Donovan Mitchell | F - Bogdan Bogdanovic | F - Royce O'Neale | C - Rudy Gobert
Houston Rockets Preview
The Houston Rockets are deep in their rebuilding mission and the front office has done a great job so far. They drafted a gifted scorer in Jalen Green to pair him in the backcourt with Kevin Porter Jr. They also selected Alperen Sengun, who is considered by many to be the steal of the draft. Moreover, the Houston Rockets have a talented young center in Christian Wood who was in talks for the Most Improved Player last season until his injury.
Additionally, Jae'Sean Tate was a gem in last year's rookie class. He went undrafted in 2018 but finished last season as a member of the NBA All-Rookie First Team. Coach Stephen Silas has done a great job in the limited development the young players have seen. However, John Wall is not playing games for the team even though he is getting paid over $40 million a year. He has accepted mentorship roles for the team's young players, especially Jalen Green.
John Wall may not be in the Rockets' rotation, but he's been working as a mentor for rookie Jalen Green.
Jalen: "That's like my big bro." https://t.co/Lkap6nrtu4
Key Player - Jalen Green
Jalen Green is an early favorite for the Rookie of the Year award this season. He is a scoring machine who can put the ball in the hoop in a variety of ways. Green started off his rookie campaign on a rough note, scoring just nine points in his first two games. He finally erupted against the Boston Celtics, dropping 30 points on 11-18 shooting (61%) including an incredible 8-10 from downtown.
JALEN GREEN CANNOT. BE. STOPPED.
30 points for the rookie! 🚀 https://t.co/r7Y8gOPBkP
Houston Rockets Predicted Lineup
G - Kevin Porter Jr. | G - Jalen Green | F - Jae'Sean Tate | F - Daniel Theis | C - Christian Wood
Jazz vs Rockets Match Prediction
The Utah Jazz are obvious favorites to win the game against the Houston Rockets even if it is the latter's home. The Jazz are an experienced bunch of players who led the team to the first seed in the West last season and are 3-0 right now. Meanwhile, the Houston Rockets are 1-3 and in rebuilding mode.
Where to watch the Jazz vs Rockets game?
The matchup between the the Utah Jazz and the Houston Rockets will be broadcast locally on AT&T SportsNet - Southwest and AT&T SportsNet - Rocky Mountain. The game can also be live-streamed with an NBA League Pass.
Moreover, fans can tune in to the radio at 790 AM / S: 93.3 FM and KZNS / S: KTUB to listen to the match's live commentary.