NBA Sixth Man of the Year candidate Jordan Clarkson scored 22 points on Wednesday, leading a balanced effort in Utah’s commanding 112-89 win (box score) at Houston. The Rockets, who were paced by John Wall’s 21 points and 6 assists, shot just 10-of-49 on 3-pointers (20.4%).
Utah had six double-figure scorers, including Clarkson, Joe Ingles (21 points, 6 rebounds), Rudy Gobert (19 points, 18 rebounds), Mike Conley (11 points, 13 assists), Bojan Bogdanovic (14 points), and Georges Niang (13 points). Jae’Sean Tate headlined Houston’s struggles from the field, scoring 8 points on 4-of-19 shooting (21.1%) and 0-of-9 on 3-pointers. Christian Wood added 16 points (50% FG) and 8 rebounds.
The Jazz (44-15) have the NBA’s best record, and it happens to be the exact inverse of Houston (15-44), which has the league’s worst mark. Wednesday’s game at Toyota Center showed ample evidence as to why.
As usual, the Rockets were very short-handed, with six players sidelined by injuries and a seventh (Kevin Porter Jr.) made unavailable just before tipoff due to a violation of NBA health and safety protocols.
“It’s demoralizing when you are getting open shots and you are not making them,” head coach Stephen Silas said postgame. “But it is also a reality that we are missing four of our best shooters. Danuel House, DJ Augustin, Eric Gordon and Sterling Brown. Without them, it’s going to be hard for us to make those open shots.”
While the Jazz are No. 1 in the Western Conference, the competition won’t get much easier for the Rockets in the immediate future. The Los Angeles Clippers (41-19), who are No. 3 in the West, visit Toyota Center on Friday as Houston’s brief two-game homestand comes to a close.
For now, here’s a sampling of highlights and postgame reaction from the Rockets after Wednesday’s loss to Utah. Tipoff between the Rockets and Clippers is set for 7:00 p.m. Central on Friday night.
I asked Stephen Silas about finding a blend for Christian Wood’s offensive involvement.
He said he’s fine with how they use him now, added he’s not inclined to just throw him the ball when he’s in the post, that’s not how they operate.
— Kelly Iko (@KellyIkoNBA) April 22, 2021
