Utah at Houston

Houston is just not the same team they were mentally and physically coming off the 22-game winning streak. It is a team that lost their inside presence when Yao went down. Out of that winning streak, they are a very mediocre 10-10 in their last 20. Utah is credited with being a lockdown home team, but in case you haven't noticed this team is now 6-3 in their last nine on the road vs playoff teams, including two wins in Houston. The West is so competitve that to close out this series early and rest is a huge advantage for any team. The Hornets know it will minimize the pounding it is going to take in every series. The oddsmakers are saying with this pointspread, that Utah is the better team, and we agree.