It’s a somewhat bare Monday NBA slate, although the action is capped off by a Western Conference clash at the Toyota Center between the Utah Jazz and Houston Rockets.
Monday night’s contest (9:30 p.m. on Peacock) sees a lowly Utah team hit the road to face a Houston squad that’s looking to round into playoff form. Whether it’s draft positioning or seeding for April and beyond, there’s plenty to play for here.
Below, we’ll break down our Jazz vs. Rockets prediction and picks for Monday night’s game. Make your picks on PrizePicks and PrizePicks Team Picks and earn real money if you’re right, including on game winners, spreads, and totals!
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Jazz vs. Rockets Prediction, Spread, Over/Under
A season ago, the Jazz finished with the NBA’s worst record at 17-65. With head coach Will Hardy back for another year, they’ve managed to surpass that win total already and sit 18-39 entering Monday’s play.
The Rockets, meanwhile, were the West’s No. 2 seed in 2024-25 with a 52-30 record. Head coach Ime Udoka’s crew added F Kevin Durant to the picture for a potential title chase, although their 34-21 record has them pacing for a slightly worse regular-season finish.
Monday marks the 224th all-time meeting between these teams outside the playoffs. The Jazz won the last matchup on December 1 and own a 117-106 series lead.
Jazz vs. Rockets Spread, Over/Under
The Jazz enter Monday’s game as 13.5-point road underdogs, returning a 5.88x payout on PrizePicks Team Picks if they win outright.
The Rockets are home favorites with a 1.09x payout if they win, via PrizePicks Team Picks.
- Spread: Houston Rockets -13.5
- Over/Under: 229.5
- Game Winner Payout: Jazz 5.88x | Rockets 1.09x
Team Picks data is live at the time of writing and is subject to change.
Jazz vs. Rockets Injury Report
Let’s dive into the full Jazz vs. Rockets injury report for Monday, via NBA.com.
Utah Jazz Injury Report
- PG Keyonte George (ankle): Questionable
- C-PF Jaren Jackson Jr. (knee): OUT
- PF Lauri Markkanen (illness): Probable
- C Jusuf Nurkic (nose): OUT
Houston Rockets Injury Report
- C Steven Adams (ankle): OUT
- F Jae’Sean Tate (knee): OUT
Jazz vs. Rockets Prediction on Spread
Here are some stats to know to help you make your Jazz vs. Rockets prediction on Monday, February 23.
- Laying points on Monday, Houston’s 8-16 against-the-spread record as home favorites is second-worst to only the Atlanta Hawks (3-10). Surprisingly, Utah is a solid 13-12 ATS as road underdogs.
- Utah boasts the No. 7 scoring offense in the NBA at 118.2 PPG, also sitting 11th in field goals made per game at 42.4.
- Defense is where Hardy’s crew struggles, surrendering more PPG (125.9) than any other NBA team.
- Despite adding Durant to the fold this past offseason, Houston is just 19th in effective field goal percentage (53.4) and 21st in per-game scoring (114.3).
- On the other end of the court, the Rockets yield the fifth-lowest eFG% (52.8), creating an interesting stylistic matchup on Monday night.
Jazz vs. Rockets Picks for PrizePicks Today: 2/23/26
Here are three top Jazz vs. Rockets picks to target for Monday, February 23 on PrizePicks. Player stat projections via PrizePicks are headlined by PF Lauri Markkanen, C Alperen Sengun, and F Kevin Durant.
Jazz PF Lauri Markkanen vs. Rockets Projection: 23.5 Pts + Rebs
- In 41 games this season, Markkanen averages 33.7 combined points and rebounds per game.
- In six uninterrupted outings prior to his two-game absence, the Finnish big man’s average fell to 29.3, still well above his Monday projection.
- This is the fourth time in the last six seasons that Markkanen has posted a true shooting percentage of 61.0 or higher. His usage rate is 24% or greater for the fourth year in a row.
- Houston ranks 13th in opponent offensive rebounding share. Markkanen’s 6.3% O-rebounding clip trails only 2023-24 (7.4%) as a personal best.
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Rockets C Alperen Sengun vs. Jazz Projection: 35.5 Pts + Rebs + Asts
- Sengun averages 35.8 combined points, rebounds, and assists. He’s most productive on Mondays, when that PRA ledger jumps to 45.4.
- Although he’s dialed back to a career-low share of shots from 0-3 feet (26.4%), Sengun’s efficiency on such looks (69.1%) is a new personal record.
- Among players with 30+ games this year, Sengun ranks 10th in rebound chances per contest (16.9).
- The Rockets big man’s 29.3% assist rate is a new career-high mark, as is his 27.1 usage percentage.
Rockets F Kevin Durant vs. Jazz Projection: 26.5 Points
- According to databallr, Durant puts up 27.9 shots per 100 possessions and spends 22.1% of his time on-ball, ranking in the 93rd and 85th percentiles, respectively.
- Midrange mastery is the key to KD’s success. He’s making 58.2% of his shots from 3-10 feet, 51.9% from 10-16 feet, and 52.7% from 16 feet to the 3-point line.
- Per NBA Advanced Stats, the Rockets operate at the second-slowest pace in the NBA (96.5). With that said, the Jazz are second fastest (103.1), which could create additional opportunities for Durant.
- Only the Los Angeles Lakers (27.4) allow more PPG to the SF position on a nightly basis than Utah (26.2), via FantasyPros.
Make Jazz vs. Rockets Picks on PrizePicks
Jazz vs. Rockets Monday hoops picks aren’t the only avenue hoops fans have to getting in on the daily NBA action.
You can make your picks on PrizePicks and PrizePicks Team Picks and earn real money. Just pick players, predict More or Less on their projected stats, and cash in if you’re correct. With Team Picks, make predictions on winners, spreads, and over/unders, now available in 34 states.
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