The Rockets Avoid a Letdown Against the Jazz

The Houston Rockets have now won 11 of their last 12 games, hitting another gear in the late stages of the season. The young stars have stepped up for the team throughout this winning stretch, making big plays and good decisions to help secure several big wins. The second seed is Houston's to lose after untimely losses for Western Conference competitors. The Rockets kept their control of the No. 2 seed after finishing their victory against the Utah Jazz.

Utah's only lead came after the game's first bucket when Collin Sexton fed Cody Williams for a mid-range shot to open the scoring. Alperen Sengun quickly responded, scoring the first two points of 33 total he would score by the end of the game.

Sengun's big night supercharged the Rockets' offense despite a poor shooting night by Houston.

The Jazz outshot the Rockets in nearly every category. Utah shot 54.4 percent from the field and 47.8 percent from deep range. Houston shot 46.1 percent from the field and just 32.4 percent from three-point range. The only place the Rockets had an advantage was at the free-throw line, where they hit nearly 80 percent of their shots compared to Utah's 76.5 percent from the charity stripe.

The Rockets got a big boost at the stripe from Sengun as he hit 11 of his 13 attempts in one of his best free-throw shooting performances this season.

Houston won despite Utah's better shooting percentages because of several factors. For one, the Rockets had a much higher volume of shots. They took 102 total attempts compared to just 79 for the Jazz. Houston launched 37 3-point attempts, while Utah attempted just 23 shots from deep. The disparity in shot volume makes the shooting percentages a little misleading, as Utah didn't create enough offense despite having an efficient night.

The Rockets were also efficient, but their efficiency culminated in their ability to limit turnovers. Houston finished with just 9 giveaways as Sengun, Fred VanVleet, and Jalen Green each showed they could run the show on the court and make quality decisions.

Green had a strong game despite a pretty inefficient shooting night. He fed Sengun for several fourth-quarter buckets that helped the Rockets ice the game. Green made good decisions with the ball all game, finishing with six assists. He also made a strong effort on the boards by snatching eight rebounds in a well-rounded game.

Houston's other young players like Amen Thompson, Jabari Smith Jr., and Tari Eason, each had strong performances that contributed to the victory. Thompson and Eason combined for 30 points and five stocks as they continued their high-intensity play. Smith Jr. and Thompson had 10 rebounds each as the Rockets dominated the glass against Utah, finishing with a 51-33 margin in rebounding.

The Rockets will play the Jazz one final time before the season ends, but the rest of Houston's games are against teams currently in top-10 seed or fighting to secure one. The Rockets have experienced playing good basketball and securing several wins before the postseason. Now, they're set to gain some experience playing against the top teams in the West as a final test before the playoffs.