Three Takeaways from the Rockets' Win Over Utah Jazz

For the final stop of their lengthy road trip, the Houston Rockets have maintained their win mark, pounding the Utah Jazz with a wire-to-wire, 129-101 victory this Sunday.

After two consecutive major wins in Phoenix and Golden State, the Rockets have earned a rejuvenating three-game break and spent Thanksgiving Day on the road. Nevertheless, they remained locked in and ready by easily taking down the Jazz behind the leadership of Alperen Sengun’s strong 27 points and five assists.

This serves as the first part of the team’s back-to-back duel with the Jazz in Salt Lake City, and the result of today’s game gives them momentum to perfectly ace their West Coast trip before heading home to H-Town.

Here are the key takeaways of the Rockets’ dominant matinee dub against the Jazz:

Kevin Durant Returns With A Spectacular Performance

Kevin Durant missed the Rockets’ last two games, tending to personal matters beyond the court. And in his return to the team this weekend, he’s literally back like he never left.

Durant showed no rust as he paced the Rockets again with a big-time play, scoring 25 points in 10-for-14 shooting (3-for-4 on 3-pointers) with six boards and four assists across 30 minutes. The Jazz simply couldn’t stop him from his scoring outburst and shot-making.

After their signature wins against the Suns and the Warriors this week, the Rockets have proved to themselves they can withstand the competition even without their best player. And with Durant back in the lineup, the sky’s the limit for Houston to continue succeeding this regular season.

Defense Propels Houston’s Dominant Win

The Rockets might have the league’s best offensive firepower, but it shouldn’t distract us from the fact that they are also a solid team of their own defensively.

Besides pulverizing the Jazz on offense, the Rockets also demonstrated a defensive masterclass this Sunday. They clamped down on the Jazz to just 44 percent shooting, limiting their three-point production to an awful 28 percent rate (9-32). They also controlled the overall flow of the game, winning the rebounding battle with a 50-33 final tally.

Jazz star forward Lauri Markkanen endured a passive night, as Houston’s smothering defense made him passive throughout the afternoon with just 18 points in 5-12 shooting.

Steven Adams, Aaron Holiday Stepped Up Big Off The Bench

A key element of the Rockets’ one-sided win against the Jazz has been bench production, and the two of Steven Adams and Aaron Holiday are its driving forces.

The Rockets duo has been the X-factor of today’s game. Adams punished the Jazz with his superior interior play, tallying a double-double of 13 points and 12 boards. Meanwhile, Holiday was huge again with 11 points and two assists.

Battling the Jazz again this Monday, the Rockets will significantly need the presence of Adams and Holiday to sweep their five-game road trip.