Houston Rockets versus Utah Jazz Pick Prediction NBA Pro Basketball Odds Preview 3-20-2013

The 34-33 Utah Jazz will travel to play the 36-31 Houston Rockets in an NBA pro basketball game on Wednesday night. Tip time from Houston is scheduled for 8PM Eastern Time with national television coverage provided by the NBA League Pass Channel.

The odds from this NBA game has the home team Houston Rockets favored by -6 ½ points with an over under line of 210 points. Early money has landed on Utah as the Rockets opened as a -7 point favorite a few hours ago.

This is the fourth meeting of the season between these two clubs. Houston has won and covered the spread in two of the three games.

Utah has a road record of 10-24 on the year. They lose for the sixth time in eight games after a 90-83 home defeat to an injury depleted New York Knicks club as a -10 ½ point betting favorite. The game finished under 188 ½ points. The Jazz were held to just 39 second half points in the second half in a game where Carmelo Anthony and Tyson Chandler did not play for the Knicks. Utah shot just 38.2% from the field along with 9 of 19 from three point land. They allowed New York 46.4% from the floor and pulled down 12 more rebounds than the Knicks. Utah gave away the game with 17 turnovers and missed 8 of 24 free throws. Gordon Hayward for Utah led the team with 17 points and three assists on 6 of 14 shooting. In the playoff race the Jazz sits in the ninth seed one game behind the eighth seeded LA Lakers with 15 games remaining. Utah has been struggling on the offensive end of the court as the team has scored 90 or less point in five of their past six games. The Jazz defends horribly on the road by allowing 102.2 points and 47.8% shooting in their 34 games on the highway this season.

The Rockets are 22-10 on their home court. Their two game win streak was snapped on Sunday in a 108-78 home defeat to the Golden St Warriors as a -7 ½ point betting favorite. The game finished under 217 ½ points. Houston fell behind 54-31 at the half in defeat. They shot just 32.6% from the field and made 9 of 35 from the three point line. The Rockets allowed 45.8% shooting to the Warriors and Houston was sloppy with the basketball by committing 17 turnovers. James Harden led the team with 21 points and 10 rebounds in a losing cause. The Rockets are the number two scoring team in the NBA by putting up 106.5 points per game. In the playoff chase Houston holds the seventh seed out west and two games ahead of the ninth seeded Utah Jazz.