How to watch Rockets vs. Jazz
- Date: Thursday, Dec. 7
- Time: 10:30 p.m. ET
- Location: Vivint Smart Home Arena -- Salt Lake City, Utah
- TV: TNT (check local listings)
- Streaming: NBA on TNT (requires subscriber login)
- Follow: GameTracker
- Line: Rockets -5.5
Odds and analysis
Odds: Check Sportsline's NBA pick sheet for all your daily odds.
Analysis: Two of the NBA's hottest teams will meet on Thursday in Salt Lake City. The Rockets own the Western Conference's best record at 18-4 and have won seven straight games, while the Jazz have won six of their last seven games for a record of 13-12. Since Chris Paul returned to the Rockets' lineup on Nov. 16, the team has a net rating of 21.6, by far the best in the league. Right behind them are the Utah Jazz, who went on a torrid hot streak despite the absence of key players like Rudy Gobert, Rodney Hood and Joe Johnson.
Carrying the offensive load has been rookie Donovan Mitchell, who has averaged 26.2 points over Utah's last six games. Gobert is back, but you can expect Mitchell to continue to lead the team in scoring on most nights.
The Jazz have the third-best defense in the league, but they'll have their hands full with leading MVP candidate James Harden, who is leading the league in points per game (31.7) and is toward the top in assists (9.7). Surprisingly, the Rockets have also put up the league's best defensive rating this year, allowing just 95.9 points to opponents per 100 possessions.
