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HOUSTON — The Houston Rockets are one of the NBA’s best teams.
The Rockets, who are leading the Southwest Division, picked up another victory Saturday, beating the improving Utah Jazz 97-82.
Houston’s stars performed well as James Harden scored 30 points, but it was several statistical advantages that downed the Jazz on the end of a three-game road trip.
The Jazz and Rockets were tied at 23-23 at the end of the first quarter, until the Rockets took over.
There were three major observations from the game for Utah, and indications of why the team fell after losing a tough-fought game Friday in Oklahoma City.
The Rockets held a 28-11 advantage on points scored off of fast breaks. The turnover issues can explain some of those, as Utah turned the ball over 27 times. With a roster like Houston’s, turnovers can lead to easy scoring opportunities, and the Rockets feasted on baskets set up by Utah’s mistakes.
Center Enes Kanter has missed over a week with an ankle injury, and returned to score 16 points. Kanter came off the bench, as Rudy Gobert has filled his starting spot admirably.
However, Gobert scored only four points in the loss, making both of his shot attempts. Obviously, his touches were limited by competing against All-Star center Dwight Howard. It will be interesting going forward to see how coach Quin Snyder handles Gobert and Kanter. Will it be a competition, or will Kanter add depth to the Jazz bench?
Houston held a 39-15 advantage on points scored off of 3-point shots, offsetting Utah’s few offensive advantages, like a 36-30 advantage in points in the paint. Also, Houston’s starters hit nine 3-point shots while Utah’s hit two.
