Houston Falls to Utah After Halfhearted Fourth Quarter

The Houston Rockets fell 123-115 to the Utah Jazz. Jalen Green scored 25 points.

Feb 22, 2025; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; Houston Rockets center Alperen Sengun (28) posts up against Utah Jazz center Walker Kessler (24) during the first half at Delta Center. Mandatory Credit: Rob Gray-Imagn Images / Rob Gray-Imagn Images

The Houston Rockets lost to the Utah Jazz 124-115. Alperen Sengun stood out with 27 points.

Houston got off to an electrifying start on an 8-0 run. Utah made a statement to follow and went on a run of their own early on in the first quarter. Ime Udoka decided to call a timeout after his team cooled down about halfway into the period, and from there, Jalen Green had nine points in 10 minutes, but Keyonte George's ability to score and create his own looks kept the Jazz in the game. He got on the court and immediately got hot for Utah, scoring 11 points in just six minutes.

George stayed hot to start the second quarter, using his speed to draw a foul to get free throws, followed by a big three of his own as well. Udoka got heated as Houston was not able to contain Utah's guard and called a timeout early into the period, so Amen Thompson took the role of defending George out of the break. The Rockets and Jazz battled throughout the period, trading buckets with each other for the majority. Alperen Sengun ended the first half with 18 points, Green finished the first 24 minutes with 12 points, and Thompson scored 14 as Houston led 62-56. George had 20 off of the bench for Utah.

Both teams' offenses were rolling to start the third quarter, but Utah was able to stay close with Houston and cut the lead down to one, causing Udoka to call a timeout midway through the period. Jeff Green scored 11 of his 16 points in the quarter, helping the Rockets maintain their lead after going bucket for bucket with the Jazz throughout the 12 minutes. Houston led 90-87 at the end of the third period.

Thompson started the fourth quarter with a side-step three to put Houston up by six points. Udoka called a timeout early in the period again after Utah gained momentum, and their fans were electrified by a fast-break layup from Johnny Juzang. The Jazz gained a one-point lead after Sengun missed a layup and George followed up with a three-pointer. The Rockets couldn't hit a shot for several minutes and ultimately went down 12 points with just over three minutes to play. It was over at that point, as Houston took the tough loss.

The Houston Rockets face the Milwaukee Bucks on Tuesday at Toyota Center. Tip-off is set for 7:00 p.m. CST.

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