| 24 March 2009
Houston Rockets (47-25) at Utah Jazz (43-26) 7:30 p.m. PST TNT
TNT games on a Tuesday night? No complaints here.
No sooner do the Rockets reach the top of their division do they get another big test on the road. I never thought the Rockets would respond so well to the injury of Tracy McGrady. They have rallied without him and have actually posted a better winning percentage with him out of the starting line-up (16-4). Ron Artest has taken on a leadership role, and the Rockets have flourished as a result (I'll let you read that again to let it sink in). Yao Ming has taken a back seat in the scoring department, but he has improved in other areas. He has increased his rebounds, assists and blocks per game over the last month, and the team has improved. He may not be scoring as much, but he is still the focal point of the offense and the anchor of the defense.
The Jazz just couldn't catch a break this season when it comes to injuries to key players. Five of their top seven rotation guys have missed significant time at different points throughout the season. Despite these injuries the Jazz are still in the top ten in offense (6th) and defense (9th) and find themselves two and half games behind the Rockets for the second best record in the West. The mainstay over the past 50 games has been Deron Williams. Williams has carried this club through the injuries and essentially secured a playoff spot for the Jazz. He has basically matched his production from last season despite missing his All-Star power forward for the majority of the season, and he continues to make his case as one of the top point guards in the league.
The last time these teams faced off was back on March 4 in Salt Lake City. The Jazz won that contest by 7 behind the stellar play of Williams and Carlos Boozer's return to form. Now the Jazz look to split the season series with the home team winning every game. Expect one of the better games of the season as two top-10 teams jockey for playoff position.
Key Match-Up: Luis Scola versus Carlos Boozer
I'm not going to cop-out like the last time I previewed these teams and name the coaches as a the key match-up (although both are entertaining to watch during a game). This time we have a power forward match-up that looks like it heavily favors Utah at first glance. But it isn't as clear-cut as you'd think. Scola has been having a great March and is coming off the best game of his career against Tim Duncan and the Spurs. He had 19 points, 17 rebounds, 4 assists and 3 steals against the best power forward alive. Meanwhile the injury to Boozer earlier this season has led to one of the worst statistical seasons of his career. He'll be looking to make a strong push to close the season and carry that over into the playoffs if he wants to cash in this off-season. This game should be the first step of that push.
Prediction: The Jazz is so good at Energy Solutions (almost made it the whole preview without mentioning it). They'll make the Rockets' stay as division leader a short one.
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