The Jazz fell to the Rockets, 105-125, in a defeat that was all but assured ever since the opening quarter. Not that Jazz fans are complaining; with the next two games being against the Pelicans, where losses are far from guaranteed, an easy and relaxed addition to the teams ping pong balls versus Houston is a pleasant and successful evening.
The Jazz’s woes this game were not new to this team; yet again, their opponent displayed three point shooting well above their typical standard. Against the Jazz,
the Rockets shot 10 more threes than their per game average, and knocked down a very healthy 45%. Kevin Durant, Reed Sheppard, and Jabari Smith Jr. were the main culprits, and the defense wasn’t quick to adjust – they did their damage on open three after open three.
Transition defense was another problem that the Jazz simply had no answer for. Amen Thompson, always a speed-demon, created a semi-transition opportunity after nearly every Jazz miss. In those opportunities, the Jazz veterans were too slow to keep up and the Jazz youngsters kept up but always in the wrong direction. Cody Williams and Ace Bailey showed activity in getting back on defense, but the Rockets were surgical in consistently finding the open man.
Lauri Markkanen and Brice Sensabaugh were the offensive bright spots. While Lauri’s three pointers weren’t dropping tonight (it did feel like sometimes he settled for tough, movement jump shots), he matched and exceeded the Rocket’s physicality in the paint, which is no small accomplishment. He finished 9-13 on two point shots, dealing with contact on nearly all of them. Brice continued to do Brice things – shoot jump shots early in the shot clock that seem like they can’t be the most efficient form of offense, but they go in at a respectable rate nonetheless. While much of his scoring came in the 4th quarter, when the game was over in all aspects but time on the clock, it wasn’t as if the Rockets perimeter defenders had thrown in the towel. Since the New Year, he’s averaging nearly 17 points per game at around 47% from the field and 35% from three. He is blossoming into a legitimate playoff-level scorer to close out the year.
A bit of bad news that needs monitoring – Vince Williams Jr. was carried off the court by two trainers after a rough collision with Tari Eason that seemed to injure Vince’s left knee. This injury will likely lead to both (a) some more 48 minute outings from Isaiah Collier and (b) increased playing time for Elijah Harkless, who impressed me tonight with his signature defensive tenacity. Attached below is a video of the injury – it isn’t pretty, so some viewer discretion is advised.
The Jazz will be back at it at Thursday at 7 in a home game against the Pelicans.
