2019 NBA Playoffs: Houston Rockets vs. Utah Jazz preview

Predictions

While looking at the entire Western playoff bracket, this opening round series between the Rockets and Jazz has the potential to be one of the more exciting, back-and-forth series as the postseason kicks off.

Not only for reasons that were laid out in the slides previous to this one, but for the simple fact that these two teams are very familiar with each other and already have experience battling it out in a playoff atmosphere.

When predicting who will come out on top in the series, it’s hard to look past Houston’s firepower and offensive explosiveness.

The Rockets, who have been one of the biggest threats to Golden State in the postseason for the last couple of years, have the ability to hurt you from anywhere on the floor and can go on a sizable run in a blink of an eye. Having a player like James Harden on your team will always give you an advantage.

The Jazz, although they have been one of the hottest teams in the latter part of the regular season schedule, just don’t have enough firepower to match the Rockets, even though they have displayed stellar team defense throughout the year.

With the mix of Houston being a hard team to beat on its home floor and Utah having struggled to win on the road this season, the Rockets will ultimately come out on top and advance to take on the winner of the Golden State Warriors and Los Angeles Clippers in the conference semifinals.

Prediction: Rockets in 6 games