The winner of this series has the misfortune of (surely) facing top-seeded and four-time Western Conference champion Golden State in the second round.

Houston could have avoided that fate. The Rockets entered the final two nights of the regular season with the chance to finish either second or third in the West, which would have kept them on the opposite side of the bracket from Golden State. However, the Rockets were knocked off Tuesday night in Oklahoma City on a last-second shot and then didn’t get the results needed from the Nuggets or Trail Blazers, thus slipping to No. 4 in the West.

NBA Point Spread and Betting Analysis

This is a rematch from last season’s Western Conference semifinals. Houston was the top seed then and Utah the No. 5 as it is now. Houston won the series in five, with every game in the series decided by at least eight points. The Rockets would then lose to the Warriors in seven games in the West Finals. This will mark the ninth all-time playoff series between the Rockets and Jazz, the most for Utah against any opponent.

The Rockets are +700 at Sports Interaction to win the West, with the Jazz +3000. The road team is 6-1-1 ATS in the past eight regular-season meetings.

Utah Jazz

Disregard Utah’s 143-137 overtime loss at the Clippers on Wednesday because the Jazz rested nearly every key player with the team locked into its playoff seeding. Utah has a top Defensive Player of the Year candidate in centre Rudy Gobert, who finished fourth in the NBA in rebounding (12.9 rpg) and third in blocks (2.31 bpg). He also led he NBA in shooting 66.9 percent from the field – Gobert set an NBA single-season record for dunks.

Houston and Utah split four regular-season games and Gobert averaged 10.5 points, 10.0 rebounds and 2.0 blocks. Donovan Mitchell led the Jazz in averaging 23.3 points vs. Houston, the only Utah player at more than 11.5 ppg. The Jazz are 10-3 ATS in their past 13 road games.

Houston Rockets

Houston by far led the NBA in three-point attempts at a whopping 45.4 per game, setting an NBA record for most attempted in a season. This team’s formula is to either shoot from behind the arc or try a layup. Two-point shots are avoided at all costs.

Reigning NBA MVP James Harden is going to finish second this season for MVP to Milwaukee’s Giannis Antetokounmpo, but Harden led the league in scoring at 36.1 ppg, more than 8 points better than No. 2 Paul George. Harden’s average is the most since Michael Jordan’s 37.1 in 1986-87. Harden averaged 33.5 during the regular season vs. Utah. Chris Paul played in just two of the four.

Chris Paul is one of the great point guards in league history but has become injury-prone at soon-to-be age 34 and this might be his last, best chance to reach his first NBA Finals. If Paul doesn’t miss the final two games of last season’s West Finals, Houston may well beat Golden State.

JAZZ

Away

106

ROCKETS

Home

112

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Predictions

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