The Houston Rockets are team that has surprised a lot of people by moving into the upper echelon of the Western Conference in the first year of Mike D'Antoni's tenure. They have one of the game's top offensive threats leading the way, along with a capable supporting cast. The Rockets could yet prove to be a threat to move to the NBA Finals, or at least the conference finals. On Wednesday, they will play host to the Utah Jazz in a game that will begin at 8:05 PM ET at the Toyota Center. BetAnySports customers will have the opportunity to get reduced juice, which gives them more value with which to make their NBA basketball picks, and then, after the opening whistle, they can engage in real-time wagering through the mechanism known as Live Betting Ultra.

Houston will not be among the top two teams in the West this season, but that's okay; they are nestled in at the #3 spot, and unless they have a bit of a collapse, they will probably stay there. However, Utah can draw to within three games of them with a victory on Wednesday. The Rockets are 44-20 straight-up, carrying a 37-27 ATS mark. Utah is 40-24, but against the oddsmaker they have not been as successful, with a 27-34-3 record against the NBA pointspread.

Of course, Utah prides itself on defense, and this is a culture that was around for quite some time when Jerry Sloan was the head coach. Quin Snyder has re-established that, and this team allows fewer points per game than anyone in the NBA (96). So naturally this is a challenge for Houston team that averages 115.2 points per game and shoots the triple with more frequency than any other team in the league.

In the NBA basketball lines that have been posted on this game by the folks at BetAnySports, Houston is favored on its home floor:

Houston Rockets -7
Utah Jazz +7

Over 216 points -110
Under 216 points -110

D'Antoni has always been a coach who likes to push the tempo, and his team has steadily climbed the ranks in the "Pace" category, to the point where they are fourth in the league. This is obviously in sharp contrast to Utah, which is dead last, meaning that Snyder's game plan is to slow things down a both ends of the floor against the opposition. What they want to do, obviously, is minimize fast-break opportunities for the Rockets, and also make them work harder in the half-court setting to get off a good shot. James Harden, the league's third-leading scorer, has totaled 58 points in the two meetings between the squads, but the key isn't necessarily to hold his point total down, but to make him take bad shots. Harden is the league-leader in assists as well, so obviously he dishes off quite a bit to his teammates.

An interesting twist to the Rockets' story, for the edification of BetAnySports patrons, is that they are far from being near the bottom of the league in Defensive Rating; rather, they are ranked 14th, which is more than respectable for D'Antoni-coached team. And some of the credit for that has to go to Patrick Beverley, Harden's running mate in the backcourt, who is an All-Defensive team member. Small forward Trevor Ariza is also known to be someone very difficult to deal with on the defensive end. So Houston at least comes at its opponents with some balance.

These teams have split the two encounters this season, each winning on its own floor, but Utah, perhaps surprisingly, has shot 53.3% from the field. We caution you that they have not been a moneymaker catching points on the road, however, with just a 2-10 ATS mark in that role. But with Rodney Hood back in the lineup, they are certainly a more capable offensive team, by leaps and bounds, than they are without him. And Rudy Gobert does a great job manning the middle, leading the NBA in blocked shots (2.5 per game). Utah, despite the pointspread numbers, may loom as a dangerous dog here.

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