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The Houston Rockets vs Utah Jazz matchup is one of the five NBA preseason games scheduled for Monday. This will be the first preseason game for Houston, while Utah played the New Zealand Breakers on Friday. Houston is scheduled to play three more preseason games after this, while Utah will play four more.
Both teams missed the playoffs last year. The Rockets finished 11th in the West with a 41-41 record. They came very close to qualifying for the play-in tournament but a 4-6 finish in the last 10 games dashed their hopes.
The Jazz finished 12th in the same conference with a 31-51 record. Utah’s Lauri Markkanen was the subject of numerous trade rumors over the offseason, but those were put to rest after he signed a five-year, $238 million extension.
Houston Rockets vs Utah Jazz game details and odds
The Houston Rockets vs Utah Jazz game is scheduled for 9 p.m. EDT on Monday, Oct. 7, at Delta Center. The game will be broadcast locally on KJZZ and Space City Home Network. Fans can also stream it live on NBA League Pass.
Moneyline: Rockets (-170) vs. Jazz (+145)
Spread: Rockets (-4) vs. Jazz (+4)
Total (O/U): Rockets -110 (o218) vs. Jazz -110 (u218)
Editor's note: The odds could change close to the game. The odds listed were as per available information at the time of writing.
Houston Rockets vs Utah Jazz preview
The Rockets have one of the better young squads in the NBA. After narrowly missing out on the play-in tourney last season, they are expected to be in playoff contention in 2024-25.
They drafted Reed Sheppard, who should fit perfectly alongside Jalen Green, Fred VanVleet and Alperen Sengun. After Monday’s game, Houston is scheduled to face the OKC Thunder, New Orleans Pelicans and San Antonio Spurs.
The Jazz surprisingly started the last season really strong. In fact, they were one of the top teams in the standings after the first 10 games. However, Utah couldn’t continue its run and missed the playoffs by some margin. Even though Markkanen showed confidence in the team by signing an extension, the Jazz aren’t expected to be playoff contenders this year as well.
After facing Houston, Utah is scheduled to face the Dallas Mavericks, San Antonio Spurs, Sacramento Kings and Portland Trail Blazers in the preseason. The Jazz defeated the Breakers 116-87 on Friday.
Houston Rockets vs Utah Jazz predicted starting lineups
The Rockets didn’t report any injuries. Houston coach Ime Udoka should start:
PG: Fred VanVleet SG: Jalen Green SF: Dillon Brooks PF: Jabari Smith Jr. C: Alperen Sengun
Utah is expected to be without Patty Mills. Jazz coach Will Hardy should start:
PG: Collin Sexton SG: Keyonte George SF: Taylor Hendricks PF: Lauri Markkanen C: Walker Kessler
Editor's note: These are the predicted lineups and could change based on the availability of players.
Houston Rockets vs Utah Jazz prediction
Despite being on the road, Houston is favored to win this game. While most of the star players are expected to be in minutes restriction to start the preseason, the Rockets should cover the spread for a win. This should be a high-scoring game with the team total going past 218 points.
