Both Rockets and Jazz Will be Without Centers Tonight

On Sunday night, the Houston Rockets took on the Utah Jazz, earning their thirteenth win of the season in blowout fashion.

While the Jazz have been better than anticipated this season, the return of superstar Kevin Durant — mixed with Reed Sheppard's continued stellar play — was too much for Utah to handle. Durant missed two games due to personal reasons, but immediately got back to his winning ways Sunday.

Forward Alperen Sengun and Durant combined for over 50 points on highly efficient shooting, and Sheppard continued to stuff the stat sheet with nine points, six rebounds, four assists, four steals and two blocks.

The Rockets will again face off against the Jazz tonight, hoping to see a similar result on the second night of a back-to-back.

As always, the injury report will continue to play a factor, as both the Rockets and Jazz are dealing with injuries to their respective rotations. Here are the injury reports for both Houston and Utah ahead of tonight’s game:

Houston Rockets injuries:

Steven Adams — Out: rest

Isaiah Crawford — Out: G League

Tari Eason — Out: Right oblique

Dorian Finney-Smith — Out: Left ankle

Kevon Harris — Out: G League

Fred VanVleet — Out: Right ACL

Utah Jazz injuries:

Elijah Harkless — Out: G League

Walker Kessler — Out: Left shoulder

Georges Niang — Out: Left foot

John Tonje — Out: G League

Oscar Tshiebwe — Out: G League

The Rockets continue to see a fairly lengthy injury report, though Durant’s subtraction is a major win.

Houston will be without center Steven Adams due to rest, as well as two-way forward Tari Eason who remains out with an oblique injury. Swingman Dorian Finney-Smith has yet to make his Rockets’ debut after being acquired in free agency this offseason.

The Jazz will also be without a center, as Walker Kessler is set to miss the rest of the 2025-26 regular season due to injury. They’ll also be without Georges Niang, we all as a trio of players on G League assignment.

Keyonte George is now fully off the injury report after being listed with an illness last night. The guard played through it, but scored zero points on 0-for-6 shooting, with eight turnovers. He's been stellar on the year, scoring 22.5 points per game.

The Rockets and Jazz tip off at 8 p.m. CT tonight from Delta Center in Salt Lake City, UT.