The Houston Rockets travel to Salt Lake City to face the Utah Jazz at Vivint Arena on Wednesday.

The Rockets (13-32) have been playing better recently, winning two of their last three games coming into this matchup. In any case, they still have the worst record in the Western Conference, and the winning ways aren't likely to continue. What fans really want to see is the development, and it looks like that is starting to happen. Christian Wood and Kevin Porter Jr have both had All-Star games at times this season, while the 19-year-old Jalen Green continues to have growing pains. That core threesome is plenty good, but the immaturity is glaring. Where it's really evident is in their defense, with the Rockets owning the worst defensive rating in the NBA. That's something that can change over time, but it will remain an issue as long as this core sticks together.

The Jazz (29-15) are in the worst stretch of their season, entering this matchup losing five of their last six games. It's not like the losses came against tough teams either, taking defeats at the hands of the Los Angeles Lakers, Detroit Pistons, Toronto Raptors and Indiana Pacers. Those are all teams that Utah is expected to beat but missing Rudy Gobert for most of them was surely a major reason why they were struggling. He's developed into one of the best two-way players in the NBA, and his presence for this team can't be overlooked. He just came off the COVID IL in Utah's win over the Nuggets on Sunday, but they followed that up with an ugly loss against the Lakers on Monday. It's likely just a blip on the radar, though, because this team led the NBA in wins last season and is right there again this year.

These teams played back on October 28, with Utah dominating, 122-91. That gives the Jazz four straight wins in this series, dating back to the beginning of last season.