This Rockets Loss to Utah Is Different

The story's getting old, but Jazz fans won't mind if you repeat it. Utah again took down the Rockets in Salt Lake City, pulling away for a 99-86 win. The game remained in contention until the final two minutes, with Deron Williams finally spreading the margin with a few possessions of nasty.

But Houston can take something from this defeat: it is highly unlikely they'll shoot this poorly should the teams meet (again) in the postseason.

Jazz 99, Rockets 86: Recap | Box Score | Scores | Playoff Race

Houston had an effective field goal percentage of 40.2%, some 10% lower than its season average. It had almost nothing to do with Utah's defense. Ron Artest implicated himself thoroughly, shooting 5-of-22 and forcing the action far too much. His determination to run the Rockets resulted in seven assists for Ron-Ron, but if the price is an assortment of wild drives, off-balance jumpers and terrible spacing ... then the price is too steep.

Likewise, Yao Ming missed what seemed like 100 ducks in the paint. Yao ended up shooting 6-of-16, despite nearly everything coming within six feet of the rim. The referees did let the teams get away with pushes and hacks on both ends, but it's still an anomaly that Yao would shoot so poorly in deep.

Utah's defense is fair, and a few plays (and players) shone. Ronnie Brewer baited Ron-Ron into long jumpers, Carlos Boozer got hacky with Yao (which works if the whistles are sparse) and Utah's bench played spirited on the defensive end. In particular, Kyle Korver (!) had two straight fantastic stops. (Of course, both came on plays in which Von Wafer looked more like a hyperactive kid off his Ritalin than a professional basketball player. Wafer was something between awful and awful this evening.)

But in the end, Ron-Ron will control himself better (no seriously!) and Yao will convert more efficiently. That Houston's defense bothered Boozer and Williams so much is a far more important factor going forward (should the teams meet). If Houston's bench can get itself together (Carl Landry holding an important role) and Artest can understand how to better play against (the highly underrated) Brewer, Houston has an upper hand here.