Alperen Sengun had 27 points to help the Rockets earn their fifth consecutive road win. Steven Adams had 13 points and 12 rebounds off the bench and Amen Thompson dished out nine assists.
Houston’s defensive pressure led to 17 turnovers and 22 points from those takeaways. The Rockets outshot Utah 21–8 in fastbreak points.
Ace Bailey led the Jazz with 19 points. Lauri Markkanen added 18 points and eight rebounds. Jusuf Nurkic totaled 14 points, nine assists and six boards.
The Rockets held Keyonte George scoreless on 0-of-6 shooting. George also committed eight turnovers.
Houston held the Jazz to a single basket for six and a half minutes in the first quarter, sparking a 19–4 run for the Rockets to take a 30–16 lead. Kevin Durant scored one basket, assisted another, and had three steals to fuel the surge.
Utah scored about eight points in the second quarter, cutting Houston’s lead to 39–31 after Bailey’s layup. The Rockets went on a 16-2 run again. Durant made back-to-back baskets to limit the run, putting Houston ahead 55–33.
Houston increased its lead to 98–64 at the end of the third quarter after a 24–3 run sparked by back-to-back baskets from Durant and Sengun. The Jazz went six minutes without scoring any points during the race.
The Rockets and Jazz play each other again on Monday night in Salt Lake City.
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AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/nba
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