NBA 2018-19: 3 Talking Points from the Houston Rockets' Win Over the Utah Jazz

The Rockets found themselves at a highly unlikely 14th spot in the Western Conference a few weeks ago. They have made solid ground ever since, winning four games in a row, including the most recent 102-97 nail-biter against the visiting Utah Jazz.

On the other hand, the Jazz had just dropped the easiest game of their December schedule against the Magic in Mexico coming into this one. That didn't deter them from fighting tooth-and-nail against Harden and his men in an away game.

The match hung in the balance until the very final minute of regulation and had the spectators in Toyota Center on the edge of their seats.

The result has improved Houston's position on the standings, as they currently possess a 15-14(0.517) win-loss record at the 10th spot in the West. Utah Jazz find themselves sliding down to second worst spot in the West with a 14-17(0.452) record, having lost five of their last ten games.

Let's draw some key takeaways from the resurgent Rockets victory over the ailing Utah Jazz.

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#1 James Harden is becoming unstoppable with every passing game.

James Harden is leading the league in points per game with an average of 31.5

James Harden took notice of the fact that his team was grazing the bottom of the leaderboard, and has conjured an offensive beast out of himself to change that lately.

Four of the Rockets starters scored in double digits, led by Harden who dropped an impressive 47 points, 5 assists and 5 steals in the game. He is averaging 31.5 PPG for the last 10 matchups he has played for Houston and this game was the fourth instance in the previous five clashes that he has finished with a 30+ point total.

Harden's first of the two stepback jumpers in the final minute of the game was rendered a missed travel by many experts, leading to James getting three free throws in a one-possession game with 54.6 seconds remaining.

The following clip consists of the dagger stepback(second of the two) by the Beard to put the Rockets ahead 102-97, with just 13 seconds left on the clock.

The Beard is putting up a strong case for his MVP candidature this season, averaging 31.5 PPG(career-high and league-high) and 8.3 APG on the season.

"He's the best offensive player I've ever seen -- like, seriously," teammate Chris Paul said. "He can drive. He can shoot. He's got ballhandling, so it's going to be a tough night for you, whoever it is. I don't care what you're doing."

#2 Ricky Rubio needs to support Donovan Mitchell more if the Jazz are to have a chance.

Ricky Rubio is a career 32% shooter from beyond the arc.

Rubio hasn't been able to break the 20-point mark in nine of the previous eleven matchups. In this very clash against the Rockets, he finished with just 12 points on 5-of-10 shooting from the floor.

To add insult to injury, he had a game-high 7 turnovers recorded next to his name, while the Jazz committed 24 of them as a unit. To summarise in simple words, he is just not doing enough to help Utah's cause.

Young sophomore Donovan Mitchell dropped a team-high total of 23 points but his Spanish backcourt teammate was nowhere to be seen again. Coach Snyder can't expect his side to excel against teams like the Rockets if he's fully aware of the overtime Don is putting in while his teammates keep fluctuating on quality basketball on a nightly basis.

No other Jazz player(let alone Rubio) except Don could score 20 points in this game, and they still somehow managed to give the surging Rockets a run for their money.

#3 Both teams matched each other thoroughly in almost all aspects of the game.

The Jazz & Rockets are 5 &7 games behind the Conference leaders respectively.

The Jazz shot 39% from the floor while the Rockets were not far behind, netting 32-86(37%) from the field on the night. The Jazz pulled down 16 more boards than the home-team(the only area with any clear demarcation) but Houston edged past the visitors in steals(13) and blocks(7).

The difference in the number of personal fouls that both teams committed throughout the game was just 1, while Utah outscored Houston in the paint by a sliver of a margin, 40-36.

Both teams attempted 31 free-throws, but the Jazz made just three more than the Rockets could. Though the Houston Rockets led by double digits early in the fourth quarter, the Jazz crept back in to tie the game with about two minutes left.

Most of the onus of the win can be put on Harden's crunch-time prowess, as the teams clearly were stacked neck-to-neck until the very dying moments.