NBA 2019 playoff primer: OKC Thunder join 7 squads in day two action
Utah Jazz versus Houston Rockets:
The team who dispensed of our beloved OKC Thunder in the first round last season will attempt to play spoiler again by ousting the heavily favored Rockets. And, they arrive as one of the hottest squads of the stretch run (13-3) albeit courtesy of a very weak strength of schedule.
Likewise, the Rockets arrive having produced a 20-4 record in their final stretch losing only to the Warriors, Grizzlies, Bucks and of course that glorious game versus the OKC Thunder. By virtue of that loss, Houston fell to fourth and into the Warriors bracket which means they get the tough, defensive Jazz and would have to play the Warriors in the second round.
All eyes will be on James Harden and whether he can translate the type of regular season performances he produced to lead his squad to an NBA title. The giant elephant in the room is whether Chris Paul will be able to maintain his health.
Gobert who will likely be among the Defensive Player of the Year candidates has shown a newly developed offensive ability which the Jazz will need to marry with Donovan Mitchell‘s scoring production if they want to pull off the upset in back to back seasons.
Rockets Key Stat Categories:
Record: 53-29
Offense: 114.8 (2nd)
Defense: 110.0 (17th)
Net: plus +4.8 (5th)
Pace: 98.4 (27th)
Jazz Key Stat Categories:
Record: 50-32
Offense: 110.1 (15th)
Defense: 105.0 (2nd)
Net: positive +5.1 (4th)
Pace: 100.8 (14th)
Game Specifics:
History: The Jazz holds the edge all-time having won 105 of the 201 contests against the Rockets. The teams are tied with 22 wins each when facing each other in the playoffs. The teams split the 2018-19 season series.
Odds: The oddsmakers give the Rockets a 6.5 point edge with an over/under of 214 points.
The Venue: Toyota Center, Houston, Texas
The Tip: 9:30 PM ET, Sunday, April 14, 2019
TV: TNT, AT&T SportsNet Rocky Mountain (Utah), AT&T SportsNet Southwest (Houston)
Rockets Starters:
Point Guard: Chris Paul
Shooting Guard: Eric Gordon
Small Forward: James Harden
Small/Power Forward: P.J. Tucker
Center: *Clint Capela
Rockets Bench:
Point Guard: Austin Rivers,Trevon Duval
Shooting Guard: Gerald Green, Iman Shumpert, Danuel House, Michael Frazier
Small Forward: Vincent Edwards
Power Forward: Kenneth Faried, Gary Clark
Center: Nenê, Isaiah Hartenstein
Injury Notes:
- Clint Capela (illness) expected to play
- Terrence Jones (illness) is out
Jazz Starters:
Point Guard: *Ricky Rubio
Shooting Guard: *Donovan Mitchell
Small Forward: Joe Ingles
Power Forward: Derrick Favors
Center: *Rudy Gobert
Jazz Bench:
More from Thunderous Intentions
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- 3 OKC Thunder players who can step up in Aleksej Pokusevski’s absence
- Aleksej Pokusevski sidelined approximately 6 weeks with ankle injury
- Damian Lillard does not fit with the OKC Thunder
Point Guard: *Raul Neto, Danté Exum
Shooting Guard: *Kyle Korver, Grayson Allen, Naz Mitrou-Long
Small Forward: Jae Crowder, Royce O’Neale, Thabo Sefolosha
Power Forward: Georges Niang, Tyler Cavanaugh
Center: Ekpe Udoh, Tony Bradley
Injury Notes:
- Donovan Mitchell is suffering from a thoracic spasm but expected to play
- Rudy Gobert has a sore ankle but listed as probable
- Ricky Rubio has a contused left quadriceps muscle but listed as playing
- Raul Neto has a sore ankle but expected to play
- Kyle Korver is hobbled by a sore knee and listed as questionable
- Dante Exum had surgery to repair a partially torn patella tendon and is out indefinitely
Next. Thunder film room: defensive keys to shut down Blazers offense. dark
Be sure to check out Thunderous Intentions as the scribes burned the midnight oil compiling copious offerings on the OKC Thunder as they embark on their playoff journey.