abcnews
The Houston Rockets will play host to the Utah Jazz on Friday at 8:30 p.m. EST in an NBA Cup in-season tournament group play matchup. The Rockets hold a 9-3 overall record and sit third in the Western Conference, while the Jazz are 1-11 and rank 15th in the West.
Houston has gone 5-3 in Western Conference games and is 0-1 in contests decided by three points or fewer. Utah, meanwhile, is 1-9 in conference play and 0-6 in games decided by 10 or more points.
The Rockets are shooting 47.8% from the field this season, which is 2.8 percentage points better than the 45.0% the Jazz have allowed to opponents. Utah's 43.3% shooting clip is 2.0 percentage points below the 45.3% Houston has permitted.
Alperen Sengun leads the Rockets with averages of 21.1 points, 9.4 rebounds, and 7.9 assists. Kevin Durant has posted 20.1 points, six rebounds, and 3.5 assists over his last 10 games. For the Jazz, Keyonte George averages 20.4 points and 6.5 assists, while Darryn Peterson has contributed 17.1 points and 4.4 assists over his last 10 outings.
In their last 10 games, the Rockets are 7-3, averaging 114.3 points, 44.4 rebounds, 26.7 assists, 7.9 steals, and 6.4 blocks per game while shooting 47.2% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 105.8 points. The Jazz are 0-10 in that stretch, averaging 105.6 points, 45.8 rebounds, 23.6 assists, 7.0 steals, and 5.9 blocks per game while shooting 42.5% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 117.5 points.
Injury report: Houston's Clint Capela is day-to-day with an ankle injury, and Steven Adams is out with a calf issue. Utah will be without Lauri Markkanen (wrist), Jusuf Nurkic (foot), and Jaren Jackson Jr. (knee).
Key Analysis
The Rockets enter the matchup with a significant advantage in recent form, having won seven of their last 10 games, while the Jazz have yet to secure a victory in that span. Houston's efficient shooting and balanced scoring, led by Sengun and Durant, will test a Utah defense that has struggled to contain opponents. The Jazz, missing key players in Markkanen, Nurkic, and Jackson Jr., will need to find ways to slow down the Rockets' offense and improve their own shooting to compete in this NBA Cup group play game.
Originally reported by abcnews.