A victim of the worst record in franchise history, the grind never stops for the [Utah Jazz](https://www.slcdunk.com) (16-60). They travel to the Lone Star State for a matchup against the [Houston Rockets](https://www.thedreamshake.com) (49-27). A mere six games remain in the season for the Jazz to try and finish with a guaranteed top-5 pick in the NBA Draft. Lauri Markkanen and John Collins remain out for this trivial matchup, where, at this point, shutting them down makes the most sense.
Don’t be surprised by some pretty ugly basketball tonight — Utah has a total of 11 players listed on their injury report compared to Houston’s zero, apart from a few G League assignments. These April injury reports Earlier this week, they were handed a fat 36-point loss vs the Denver Nuggets. If the Jazz play like they have been all of March, they may not have to interfere too harshly. The Jazz only recorded 33.5% from deep in the month, the lowest in the NBA. A single win in this final stretch of the season could prove detrimental to the tank, at least before the Wizards snag another win. Fun fact: I only recently learned NBA lottery tiebreakers are decided by “coin flips”.
The Rockets are a team looking to clinch their first playoff birth since the 2019-20 bubble season. They’ve just come off a 104-98 loss to the LA Lakers and look to finish tonight with a vengeance. Their recent 8-2 stretch over the past 10 games has them currently sitting in the #2 spot in the West, but you never know with pure Jazz randomness. The Jazz have won two of their last three games as underdogs against the Rockets following a loss. The core they’re building right now is a decent blueprint for how the Jazz rebuild should be progressing after a couple more years of tanking. Their rotation is full of deep bench guys and developing young guys that could easily outmatch a healthy Jazz team right now. Neither team wants to have the opposite outcome tonight or it may prove detrimental in the long run.
**Injury Report**
**Jazz:**
_**QUESTIONABLE**_ \- Collin Sexton (right ischial tuberosity), Walker Kessler (return to competition reconditioning), Jaden Springer (low back injury management)
_**OUT**_ \- Jordan Clarkson (left plantar fascitis) John Collins (left ankle sprain), Cody Williams (illness), Lauri Markkanen (left knee soreness), Taylor Hendricks (right fibula fracture)
**Rockets:**
None
**How to Watch:**
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Who: Utah Jazz at Houston Rockets
When: April 2nd, 6:00PM Mountain Time
Where: Toyota Center, Houston
Watch: Jazz+, KJZZ