Stingy defense is fueling success for the Houston Rockets heading into a rematch with the Utah Jazz in Salt Lake City on Monday night.
Houston has allowed just 97.7 points per game during a three-game winning streak that includes a 129-101 victory over the Jazz on Sunday. For the Rockets, it was their fifth straight road win.
Defensively, Houston forced 17 turnovers and turned those takeaways into 22 points on the other end. The Rockets also scored 21 fastbreak points, complicating Utah’s efforts to rally once the game started getting out of hand.
“We have to continue to find ways to fight through the really physical, tough games,” Jazz coach Will Hardy said. “We have to continue to meet the level of physicality that our opponents bring to the table. But these are good learning moments for our team.”
Houston held Utah’s top two scorers in check for 48 minutes. Lauri Markkanen managed just 18 points on 5-of-12 shooting. Keyonte George was held scoreless – going 0-of-6 from the field – and committed eight turnovers.
“George and Markkanen have been playing phenomenal basketball, All-Star level type basketball so we had to knock out the heads of the snake,” Houston star Kevin Durant said after the game.
Durant had a huge impact for the Rockets on both ends after returning from a two-game absence. He scored 25 points and added seven rebounds, four assists, and three steals. His baskets, assists, and steals helped fuel multiple large runs by Houston that put the game away before halftime.
His effort complemented a 27-point outing from Alperen Sengun and 13 points and 12 rebounds from Steven Adams.
The Rockets held Utah to a single basket during a 6 ½-minute stretch in the first quarter and without a basket during a six-minute stretch in the third quarter. Utah ultimately shot 44.3% from the field but went just 9 of 32 from 3-point range.
“I think everybody knows what went wrong,” Markkanen said. “It was just really bad first half to start and then obviously it was just a really tough night, just flat.”
Duplicating that effort two days in a row won’t be a simple task for the Rockets. The Jazz are 5-6 on their home court this season.
Three of those losses have come by single digits.
“(The Jazz) will come out motivated (Monday),” Houston coach Ime Udoka said. “It’s on us to bring same effort and attention to detail that we did today.”
Ace Bailey’s performance offered one positive for Utah in the loss.
Bailey suffered a knee contusion in a 128-119 win over Sacramento on Friday but did not seem to be slowed by the injury. The rookie guard led the team with 19 points on 8-of-12 shooting while playing a team-high 31 minutes.
He began the season coming off the bench but has flourished since moving into the starting lineup. Bailey had three 20-point games in November and shot 50% or better from the floor in eight contests during the month.
