ROCKETS VS. JAZZ: A FIRST LOOK

The Rockets (53-29) finished in a tie with the Trail Blazers for third in the Western Conference with Portland holding the tiebreaker. The Jazz finished fifth. The Rockets and Jazz split the season series. James Harden averaged 33.5 points on 46.6 percent shooting. Chris Paul and Eric Gordon, however, struggled in the matchups, with Gordon averaging just 10 points on 29.6 percent shooting, 19,.2 percent 3-point shooting; Paul 11.5 points on 38.1 percent shooting, 16.7 percent 3point shooting. Utah’s Donovan Mitchell averaged 23.3 points against the Rockets. The Rockets finished with the second-ranked offense in the NBA, the Jazz with the No. 2 defense. Since the All-Star break, the Rockets have been second defensively and Utah first. The Jazz allow the secondfewest second-chance points, but the Rockets are a middle-of-the-pack team, ranked 16th, in scoring off the boards, one spot behind the Jazz. The Jazz give up the second-fewest fast-break points, but the Rockets rank 18th in fastbreak scoring.

More directly related to the matchup, the Jazz allow the fewest 3-point attempts and the secondfewest 3s per game in the NBA. The Rockets take and make more 3s than any team in NBA history. While the Rockets’ elite offense goes against the stellar Utah defense, the test is often how Harden and Paul attack with Rudy Gobert dropping to protect the lane and guards extending the defense to contest 3s and force midrange shots. The Jazz are tremendously disciplined with their defense, but Harden and Paul have done well creating shots for themselves and teammates, even against that defense. The Rockets and Jazz have filled one another’s postseason history, with the Rockets’ run to the championships going through Utah and the Jazz effectively ending the Rockets’ championship era with the John Stockton dagger. Most recently, the Rockets took out the Jazz in five games in last season’s Western Conference semifinals when Clint Capela exceled in the matchup with his French League role model, Gobert, and James Harden and Chris Paul overwhelming the Jazz backcourt despite the superlative play of Donovan Mitchell while Ricky Rubio was out with an injury.