Time running out for Houston to gain ground
Houston failed to seal the deal in Monday’s matchup against San Antonio. With another Western Conference heavyweight looming, however, Mike D’Antoni’s team can hardly afford to sulk.
Gordon Heyward and the Jazz hit the Lone Star State tonight, with an 8 p.m. ET tip at Toyota Center. Online sports book Bovada.lv gives the Rockets odds of -245 to take care of business at home. Utah, on the other hand, represents a +203 underdog.
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Despite carrying a 54-47 lead at the half, Houston let the Spurs storm back to win one of the biggest games of the regular season. The Rockets simply couldn’t stop Kawhi Leonard, who put up 39 points. Making matters worse, sharpshooting power forward Ryan Anderson exited the 112-110 defeat due to back tightness.
Quin Snyder’s crew isn’t exactly the picture of health eithfer. George Hill, Shelvin Mack and Joe Johnson all missed Utah’s 88-83 triumph over New Orleans earlier in the week. Fortunately, Heyward remains unflappable. The Butler product has reached double figures in each of the seven contests since the All-Star break.
With less than a month left on the schedule, third-seeded Houston can’t afford to cede any further ground to the hard-charging Jazz. The visitors’ grit, determination and overall efficiency, though, should serve them well in this setting. Bank on buckets aplenty.
WEDNESDAY NBA FREE PICK: JAZZ/ROCKETS OVER 215 POINTS