The Houston Rockets (18-19) earned the 103-94 victory against the visiting Utah Jazz (15-20) on Thursday night at Toyota Center.
This was the second night of a back-to-back for the Jazz, who were coming off a tough loss in San Antonio of Wednesday night. The Jazz have now lost their last seven road games and their last three games in a row. Houston has now won two in a row and is 2-0 in the season series against Utah.
Utah led 44-39 at half but the Rockets came out in a lot stronger in the second half. They tied the game at 48 with eight minutes to go in the third and by the mid-fourth they had stretched their lead to nine. Houston had a game of two halves, scoring 39 points in the first half and 64 points in the second half.
Houston was missing Dwight Howard who sat out with a sore back, and Ty Lawson who served the first of a three-game suspension for a DUI he picked up last season. This was no worry for James Harden who has been able to carry his team on many occasions. Harden led the Rockets with 33 points (13-25 FG, 0-7 3Pt, 7-10 FT), eight rebounds, three assists, two steals and one block, in 34 minutes. Terrence Jones started in place of Howard and tallied 14 points (6-10 FG), eight rebounds and two assists, in 32 minutes. Jason Terry finished with 12 points (5-8 FG, 2-3 3Pt), two rebounds and two assists, in 20 minutes. The Rockets shot a solid 52 percent from the field.
The Jazz had trouble handling the ball as they gave up eight turnovers in the first quarter alone and a total of 19 turnovers in the game. Rudy Gobert was back in the lineup after missing a few games with an MCL strain but came off the bench for limited minutes, while Alec Burks (fractured fibula) and Derrick Favours (back spasms) remained sidelined. Gordon Hayward led the Jazz in scoring with 15 points (6-13 FG, 1-7 3Pt, 2-4 FT), along with five assists, in 37 minutes. Trevor Booker was solid in 25 minutes off the bench, finishing with 12 points (6-9 FG) and nine rebounds. Rookie Trey Lyles started in place of Favours and finished with nine points, nine rebounds, three assists, two steals and two blocked shots, in 33 minutes.
Next the Jazz will host Miami on Saturday. The Jazz have faired a lot better at home than on the road this season. Top scorers Paul George and James Harden will shoot it out on Sunday as the Rockets host the Pacers.
