NBA Utah Jazz vs Houston Rockets Game 2 Preview and Prediction

Date/Time: 04-17-2019, 21:30 EDT

Spread: Houston Rockets -6.5

Total: +213

With the 4^th in the West Houston Rockets leading this quarterfinals series 1-0 after an easy win at home, they are hosting once again the 5^th in the West Utah Jazz, who need to fare better in this game and avoid a second straight defeat in the series.

Jazz had a 50-32 record (44-36-2 ATS) in the regular season and finished in the 5^th place of the West. They are 1-3 in their last 4 games and in their latest matchup they got defeated by Houston on the road in the opening game of the series, 90-122. Rockets had a 53-29 record (40-39-3 ATS) in the regular season and finished in the 4^th of the Western conference. They are 7-1 in their last 8 games and in their latest matchup they got defeated by Utah at home in the opening game of the series, 122-90.

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Utah are led in scoring by Rudy Gobert with 22 ppg. He also leads the team in rebounding with 12 per game, while Donovan Mitchell follows with 19 ppg, adding 5 rebounds per game. Ricky Rubio adds 15 ppg and a team high 6 assists per game. Houston are led in scoring by James Harden with 29 ppg. He also adds 8 rebounds and leads the team in assists made with 10 per game, while Eric Gordon with 17 ppg. Clint Capela adds 16 ppg and leads the team in rebounding with 12 per game.

Houston lead Utah 3-2 wins so far this season and they have won two of their three home games by 24.5 points. Houston are 32-10 at home, while Utah are 21-20 on the road. Houston have a better offense with 114 ppg to Utah’s 111.5, while Utah have a better defense, allowing 106.7 ppg to Houston’s 108.9 ppg. Utah have a better accuracy from the field (46.7% to 45%), while both squads have almost the same accuracy from behind the arc (35.6% and 35.5%). Houston commit fewer turnovers per game (12.6 to 14.8), while Utah grab more rebounds (46.3 to 42.1) and dish more assists per game (25.9 to 21.3). Utah will not be as bad for a second straight game but expect the hosts to win by more than 7 points today.

Utah Jazz vs Houston Rockets Game 2 Prediction: Houston Rockets -6.5 (-112)