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Final Score: Jazz defeat Rockets, 118-91
After defeating the San Antonio Spurs at home, by as many as 34 points, the Utah Jazz hosted the Houston Rockets at the Vivint Smart Home Arena. Rockets had good rest after their loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves and were looking to steal one game in Utah.
The Jazz started the game hot and clinched the first quarter, 27-18. However, the Rockets put up a tough fight in the second quarter and the Jazz were up 53-45 at the end of two quarters.
In the third quarter, Rockets got annihilated and the Jazz took it 38-11, thanks to monster performance from Derrick Favors. The Rockets could never recover later and the Jazz blew out the Rockets, 118-91. Let us take a look at three talking points from this matchup.
#3 James Harden struggled from the field
Stat line: 15 points, 6 rebounds and 2 assists on 31.3 % shooting
Even though the Rockets are struggling this season, James Harden has been great and putting up big numbers. Coming off a 29 points performance in a loss against the T-Wolves on the road, Harden struggled in this game and never looked comfortable.
He shot 5-for-16 from the field, with a field-goal of just 31.3 and was also lackluster from the three-point line as he went 2-for-8 from behind the arc.
He also had seven turnovers on the night and the Rockets suffered an embarrassing defeat. He had 15 points in the contest along with 6 rebounds and 2 assists.
The Rockets guard is averaging 29.8 points, 5.6 rebounds and 8.3 assists per game this season but the team is currently at the 13th spot in West with a win-loss record of 11-13.
#2 Both the teams shot poorly from long range
One thing that has played a key role in Houston Rockets' success in the last few years was their improved three-point shooting. Last season, they broke the NBA record for highest three-pointers made, for a second-straight year.
However, their three-point shooting stats took a dip this time with the departure of Ryan Anderson and Trevor Ariza, both of whom were really good shooters from distance.
Last night, they could not get it going from long range as the team combined for just 8-on-36, with a three-point shooting percentage of 22.2. James Harden only shot 2-for-8 and their other red-hot shooter, Eric Gordon shot 1-for-4.
The situation was similar for Jazz who shot just 8-for-32 from behind the arc. While their best shooter, Joe Ingles shot 4-for-6, the others combined for just 4-for-26. Despite their struggles from the three-point line, the Jazz still found ways to get a win.
#1 Derrick Favors' double-double performance
Stat line: 24 points, 10 rebounds, 1 steal and a block on 76.9 % shooting
Against the San Antonio Spurs, Derrick Favors came up big and had 14 points, five rebounds and two assists to lead the Utah Jazz. Two nights later, he scored season-high 24 points and also pulled down 10 rebounds to extend the Jazz's win-streak to two games.
In the first quarter, with 4:01 remaining, he caught a beautiful pass from Ricky Rubio for a double-handed slam, to tie the contest. He then followed it up with yet another cutting dunk off to extend the Jazz's lead to four points.
Favors was very dominant in the paint and the Rockets' defenders had no answer for him as he kept collecting easy buckets with ferocious dunks. Favor's presence in the paint helped the Jazz immensely as they blewout the Rockets.
