by Alma Bean

Jordan Clarkson (00) mid-celebration during Sunday night’s win over the New Orleans Pelicans. Photo by Jonathan Bachman of Getty Images.

After an emphatic overtime win over the New Orleans Pelicans on Sunday, Utah will face the winless Houston Rockets in Houston.

Houston is currently 0-3 this season but has faced tough competition. The three teams they have faced this year are all playoff contenders from last season. They are facing arguably two of the best young players in the NBA in Ja Morant and Trae Young. Along with those two franchise players, Houston faced arguably the best player in the league, Giannis Antetokounmpo in Milwaukee.

Houston will be tasked with yet another tough game as Utah comes in to extend its winning streak to four games.

Utah had yet another late game as they had their second overtime game this season. With a clutch layup from Kelly Olynyk, Utah came away with the win 121-120. Exceeding expectations, Utah jumped 23 spots for the NBA’s week two power rankings. Now seen as a top-five team, will Utah be able to keep this winning mentality alive against a team desperate for a win?

What to Look For

Utah is coming into this matchup leading the league in assists per game (31.7), steals per game (11.3), and points per game (125.7.) Houston has managed to allow the most points per game (123.7.) In nearly every basic statistical category, Houston is ranked in the bottom five. This should be helpful for Utah as they look to get one more win before returning to Salt Lake City.

Injury Report

Utah- Udoka Azubuike: Out (ankle)

Houston- Bruno Fernando: Out (knee), TyTy Washington Jr.: Out (knee), Jae’Sean Tate: Out (ankle), Alperen Sengun: Questionable (illness)

Where to Watch?

Utah will face Houston in their final game of this three-game road trip at 6:00 MST on AT&T SportsNet.

All stats were provided by ESPN

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