Monday, April 22, 2019

Rockets vs Jazz


Rockets vs Jazz Live

One would assume a 4 vs. 5 matchup would lead to a competitive first-round series. That has not been the case in this Jazz-Rockets series.  

James Harden and fourth-seeded Houston has dominated No. 5 Utah in the series en route to a 3-0 lead. The Jazz fought valiantly in Game 3 -- losing 104-101 -- and now find themselves on the brink of elimination. Houston has a chance to sweep the series in Game 4 on Monday night, which would set up a rematch of last season's Western Conference finals -- assuming the Warriors take care of business against the Clippers in Wednesday's Game 5. 

Here's everything you need to know about this first-round matchup between the Rockets and the Jazz.
No. 4 Houston Rockets vs. No. 5 Utah Jazz

How to watch Game 4

    Date: Monday, April 22
    Time: 10:30 p.m. ET
    Location: Vivint Smart Home Arena -- Salt Lake City, Utah
    Live stats: GameTracker
    TV channel: TNT
    Online streaming: FuboTV  
    Odds: Jazz +3 (Over/Under 214.5)

TV listings

All games will air on ESPN, ABC, TNT and NBA TV during the postseason. Games on TNT and NBA TV can be streamed via fuboTV (try it for free).
Playoff series schedule, results (Rockets lead series, 3-0)

All times Eastern   

    Game 1: Rockets 122, Jazz 90 (Box Score)
    Game 2: Rockets 118, Jazz 98 (Box Score)  
    Game 3: Rockets 104, Jazz 101 (Box Score)
    Game 4: Rockets at Jazz, Monday, April 22, 10:30 p.m. -- TV: TNT
    Game 5*: Jazz at Rockets, Wednesday, April 24, TBD -- TV: TBD
    Game 6:* Rockets at Jazz, Friday, April 26, TBD -- TV: TBD
    Game 7*: Jazz at Rockets, Sunday, April 28, TBD -- TV: TBD

*If necessary
Odds and Analysis

Check Sportsline's NBA pick sheet for all your daily odds.
Storylines

Rockets: The Rockets finished the season with the second-best offense in the NBA, but they struggled during their regular season matchups with the Jazz. Houston scored just 99.0 points per 100 possessions in their regular season series, with three of the Rockets' eight worst offensive games of the season coming against Utah.

Jazz: The Jazz have the second-best defensive unit in the NBA, but James Harden still had tremendous success against them by averaging 33.5 points per game on an effective field-goal percentage of 54 percent. With that said, it wasn't all positive for Harden -- his assist/turnover ratio (19-to-24) was his worst against any of the Rockets' opponents this season.
Matchups to watch

1. Donovan Mitchell vs. James Harden: This is a star-driven league and franchises win games and championship due to those aforementioned star players. Harden is the reigning MVP and has a good chance at winning his second straight MVP award after averaging 36.1 points per game this season. With that said, MItchell is a star himself. He's averaged over 26 points per game on over 40 percent shooting from beyond the arc in the calendar year of 2019. Most of the games in this series will likely be close, so it all comes down to which one of these star players can take over and win their games for their teams.

 2. Can the Jazz slow Harden down enough? As you can see by the statistics mentioned earlier, Harden dominated the Jazz in their regular season matchups. However, the rest of his teammates disappointed. If Utah can slow Harden down enough, Chris Paul, Eric Gordon and Clint Capela won't win them this series. If the Jazz can force the ball out of Harden's hands enough, that's an victory in itself -- and it should lead to a series victory.

3. Gobert vs. Capela: While Mitchell is the "star" on the Jazz, it's Rudy Gobert who is the most valuable on the squad. His ability to alter shots will prove instrumental when Harden attempts to drive to the rim. However, he was arguably outplayed by Clint Capela during last year's semifinals matchup. Considering Gobert is an All-NBA player and Capela has yet to reach that level, the reigning Defensive Player of the Year needs to put his imprint on this series by dominating his matchup with Capela.
Series prediction, pick

Rockets in 7: This could be the most interesting matchup in the first round of the NBA playoffs. It's such a contrast of styles between two vastly different opponents. The Rockets heavily rely upon their offense and the talent of James Harden while the Jazz are all about playing winning games with stifling defense.

With that said, the Rockets should prevail in this series. In today's NBA, you need guys that can completely take over a game. While Donovan Mitchell is respectable in his own right, he is no Harden -- that was evidenced by Harden nearly carrying the Rockets from being a bottom-feeding Western Conference squad to within striking distance of the No. 2 seed by the end of the regular season.

The Jazz will be pesky -- they always are. However, the home-court advantage and the dominance of Harden will be too much for Utah to overcome in this series.


Rockets vs Jazz

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