Young and rebuilding teams like the 2021-22 Rockets aren’t supposed to beat perceived Western Conference contenders, and especially not on the road. But that’s exactly what Houston (14-32) somehow managed to do at Utah (29-16) on Wednesday night in Salt Lake City.
For the Rockets, who had five players score in double figures as part of a balanced effort, it was a third win in their last four games — all away from home. Sharpshooter Garrison Mathews led the way in the 116-111 win (box score) with a team-high 23 points off the bench, including 5-of-9 on 3-pointers (55.6%). But he had plenty of help, as well.
Veterans Bojan Bogdanovic (29 points, 5 rebounds), Rudy Gobert (23 points, 9 rebounds), and Jordan Clarkson (19 points, 4 assists) led the Jazz, but it wasn’t enough to keep pace. After putting up 5 points in the first five-plus minutes of the second half, Houston exploded to score 54 in under 19 minutes to finish it out, leading to a shocking road win.
