The Utah Jazz do not have to wait long for a shot at avenging their first loss of the season.
In a rematch of Monday’s game at Houston, a 114-108 win for the Rockets, the Jazz will host the second leg of a home-and-home Wednesday night in Salt Lake City.
Utah at least will have a day of rest coming into the rematch. They played the previous game on the second night of a road back-to-back that began Sunday in New Orleans.
Sunday’s victory was the first of the 2022-23 campaign for Houston, which eked out a win after seeing a 10-point lead vanish. The Rockets took advantage of the weary Jazz down the stretch thanks to a go-ahead Eric Gordon layup with 1:23 left followed by four clutch free throws in the final 24.5 seconds by rookie Jabari Smith Jr.
Kevin Porter Jr. led Houston with 26 points and 10 rebounds, Jalen Green scored 25 and Smith, the third overall pick of the 2022 NBA Draft, had an all-around solid performance with 21 points, nine rebounds and three blocked shots.
Jordan Clarkson led seven Utah players in double figures with 17 points. Lauri Markkanen missed all six 3-point attempts en route to 14 points, while Jarred Vanderbilt (11 rebounds), Kelly Olynyk (nine rebounds) and Simone Fontecchio each scored 13.
The Jazz got off to a slow start, only scoring 18 points in the first quarter and 45 by halftime, before making a strong push in the second half. That came a night after Utah held on for an overtime win over the Pelicans in New Orleans.
The loss came after Utah impressively opened the season with three surprising wins.
