Rockets roar to 13th in row, silence Jazz
SALT LAKE CITY – James Harden had 26 points and Luc Mbah a Moute scored 15 of his 17 points in the fourth quarter to lift the Houston Rockets to their 13th straight win with a 96-85 victory over the Utah Jazz on Monday night.
Playing the second game of a backto-back set at high altitude, nothing seemed to come easy for the Rockets but the Jazz committed 22 turnovers, many of them unforced, to ease the pressure.
The Jazz seemed determined to limit Harden and run the Rocket’s top shooters off the three-point line but Mbah a Moute took advantage of open shots and lanes to the basket to keep the Jazz at bay.
Mbah a Moute went 7-for-7 and Chris Paul added 15 points for the streaking Rockets, who trailed by as many as 15 in the first half.
Coming in, it was a matchup of two of the hottest teams in the NBA. The Jazz had won 12-of-13 games but couldn’t find easy baskets against the Rockets scrambling defense.
Rudy Gobert scored 17 and Donovan Mitchell had 16 to lead the Jazz, who were 7-of-29 from threepoint range – including the Jazz rookie who was 1-of-9.
Rockets missed 15 of their first 17 three-pointers themselves but the cold spell didn’t last as Trevor Ariza hit back-to-back long balls to give the Rockets their first lead of the second half at 59-57. Stifling defense helped stretch that to a 77-65 advantage early in the final period with Harden on the bench for much of a 14-2 run.
When Mitchell drove for a dunk with 4:30 left in the second quarter, the Jazz took their largest lead at 44-29.
The Rockets won all four meetings with the Jazz this season by double digits.
The contest began a stretch where the Rockets play 6-of-7 on the road but Houston remains on a pace for the best record in franchise history even with a depleted roster. Ryan Anderson was out with a groin injury and Eric Gordon and Clint Capela missed the game with illness. Brandan Wright sat with a sore knee.
In New Orleans, Anthony Davis’ authoritative put-back dunk in the final minutes summed up a night on which his relentless play around the basket forced Phoenix’s three tallest players to foul out.
Davis scored a season-high 53 points, grabbed 18 rebounds and blocked five shots, and the New Orleans Pelicans extended their winning streak to six with a 125-116 victory over the hapless Phoenix Suns on Monday night.