Green scores 34 to lead Rockets to 11th straight win

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Jalen Green scored 30 of his 34 points in the second half and had nine rebounds as the Houston Rockets beat the Utah Jazz 101-100 on Friday night for their 10th straight win.

Fred VanVleet had 22 points, Amen Thompson added 18 points and 14 rebounds while Jabari Smith, Jr. scored 14 points for the Rockets. Houston scored 27 points off 21 Utah turnovers and outscored the Jazz 25-12 in second-chance points.

John Collins led Utah with 30 points and 11 rebounds. Collin Sexton added 29 points. for the Jazz who lost their eighth straight game. Kris Dunn finished with 11 points and eight rebounds.

The Rockets trailed the entire first half but swung momentum their way during a third-quarter scoring outburst from Green.

Green had five of Houston’s first six baskets of the second half to power a 20-7 run that put the Rockets up 61-54 midway through the third quarter. He scored 20 of his team’s 28 points in the quarter.

Utah surged back in front behind a 16-2 run. Sexton fueled the run with a 360 dunk and punctuated it with a finger roll layup that put the Jazz up 74-69.

Houston pulled ahead for good when Green tipped in a layup and knocked down a pair of 3-pointers as part of a 14-3 run. Green’s second 3 gave the Rockets a 92-85 lead with 3:45 left.

Utah cut the deficit to one with 1:21 remaining on a turnaround jumper from Johnny Juzang. VanVleet banked in a pullup jumper and Green hit two free throws in the final 15 seconds to seal the victory.

Houston sputtered to a season-low 13 points in the first quarter while shooting just 21% from the field over that stretch.

Collins and Sexton combined for six baskets and 21 of Utah’s first 23 points to help the Jazz overcome an 0-of-10 start from 3-point range and take advantage of the Rockets’ early struggles. Their production helped Utah carry a 23-13 lead into the second quarter.

Utah led by 13 points in the first half, going up 39-26 on a pair of 3-pointers from Collins. The Rockets closed the gap before halftime when Smith capped a string of three consecutive Houston baskets with a dunk to make it 43-39.

UP NEXT

Rockets: hosts Dallas on Sunday.

Jazz: At Sacramento on Sunday.

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