Free NBA Pick: Rockets vs. Jazz NBA Odds
Looking for Houston Rockets vs Utah Jazz free NBA picks & NBA odds? NBA betting sees the Rockets taking on the Jazz on Friday, March 12th, 2021 at Vivint Arena. Cappers Picks provides complimentary expert handicapping picks on all NBA basketball matchups so stay tuned for more FREE daily NBA hoops predictions like this Rockets Jazz matchup.
2021 NBA Handicapping
(11-24) Houston Rockets vs. Utah Jazz (27-9)
Date: Friday, March 12th
Time: 10:00 PM EST
Venue: at Vivint Arena, Salt Lake City, Utah
NBA Moneyline Odds: Rockets +900 | Jazz -1493
NBA Betting Odds: Jazz -15.5
NBA Betting Total: 226.5
On Friday, March 12th the Los Angeles Lakers travel to face hosts the Utah Jazz for the first time this season.
The Jazz holds the all-time record between the squads with 106 victories in 204 meetings. Last season these clubs met three times with the Rockets winning two matches and the Jazz taking one game.
Houston Rockets
The Rockets haven’t won a game in over a month! Their last victory occurred on February 4th against the Memphis Grizzlies. At the time the team was on a terror having won seven of eight games that featured a six-game win streak.
Since that victory versus Memphis, the Rockets have lost 14 games in a row.
They returned from the break losing 105-125 to the Sacramento Kings in spite of six Rockets registering double-figure scoring.
It’s no coincidence that the losing streak has coincided with the absence of Christian Wood. His last appearance was in the win versus Memphis.
Originally Wood’s ankle sprain was listed as grade two typically requiring two to four weeks recovery time. So his ongoing absence of more than five weeks is starting to feel like a tanking ploy.
Houston owes their first-round draft pick to the Thunder as part of the Russell Westbrook trade. However, it’s top 4 protected so if Houston can finish 27th or lower they’ll retain it and that sure seems to be the strategy.
Additionally, Houston is aggressively shopping assets for the trade deadline. PJ Tucker is definitely in the mix and wasn’t played on Thursday a hint the team might be shutting him down. The question is whether Victor Oladipo and Eric Gordon will be actively shopped.
Presumably, they tear everything down and start fresh, and given Oladipo’s desire to win now the timeline might not favor the Rockets attempting to re-sign him.
Surprisingly John Wall was out Thursday with an apparent knee injury. Dante Exum (calf), Danuel House (knee), Rodions Kurucs (oblique), David Nwaba (wrist), and Wood (ankle) were all out and likely out Friday.
Utah Jazz
The Jazz lost the last two games entering the break and will return to the hardwood in this match as their first game of the second half.
After 14 seasons Mike Conley finally got the nod for the All-Star Game as he became the injury replacement for Devin Booker.
Conley also replaced Booker in the 3-point shooting contest and came one-point short of winning the title although he provided some drama and suspense for the fans as Stephen Curry had to hit the last money ball to beat him by a single point.
The veteran returned for the final two matches of the first half after missing six games.
Utah has an easier second-half schedule and will look to capitalize on that fact to secure the top seed and gain some respect in the process as they dealt with some naysayers entering the break.
NBA Betting Trends:
- Rockets are 8-3 in their last 10 meetings.
- Rockets are 6-3-1 ATS in the last 10 meetings
- The teams are 2-7-1 in the over/under in their last 10 meetings
Free Houston Rockets vs. Utah Jazz NBA Prediction:
As much as it seems likely the Jazz will rout the Rockets given the numerous injuries the 15.5 spread seems massive even with Houston playing in a back-to-back. Much will depend on whether Wall plays.
4* Free NBA Betting Pick: Rockets +15.5
Although the injury report wasn’t submitted as of this posting I’m going on a hunch Wood finally returns along with Wall being back to make this match interesting.
If you’re looking for more NBA picks like this Houston Rockets vs. Utah Jazz matchup we’ll be providing 4* free NBA predictions on the blog during the entire 2020-2021 NBA season, and check out our Experts for guaranteed premium & free NBA predictions!
Register here for a FREE NBA Betting Account Now for Daily Free Picks & More Special Offers!