Posted on 5/2/2008 4:46:59 PM

NBA Basketball Playoff Betting - Houston at Utah

By Charles Jay

WHAT: Game 6 of Western Conference playoff series (Utah leads, 3 games to 2)

WHO: Houston Rockets (55-27 SU, 47-33-2 ATS) at Utah Jazz (54-28 SU, 46-36 ATS) - Regular season records

WHERE: Energy Solutions Arena in Salt Lake City

WHEN: Friday, May 2 at 10:30 PM ET

BetUS NBA basketball betting odds: Utah -7.5, Total 180.5

Here are some of the NBA basketball betting trends as they relate to this matchup:

* HOU has lost five of its last eight games SU

* HOU has covered four of its last six games

* HOU has covered five of his last seven road games

* HOU has played eight of its last ten games UNDER the total

* UTAH has won nine of its last 14 games SU

* UTAH has covered two of its last six games

* UTAH has covered nine of its last 13 games

* UTAH has won nine of its last 10 home games SU

* UTAH has covered seven of its last nine home games

* UTAH has played six of its last nine home games OVER the total

In the HEAD-to-HEAD NBA basketball betting trends:

* UTAH has won five of the last seven meetings SU

* UTAH has covered nine of the last 13 meetings

* HOU has covered three of the last four meetings as the road team

* Three of the last four meetings in Salt Lake City have gone OVER the total

* UTAH has had the shooting edge in six of the last seven meetings

* UTAH has had the rebounding edge in seven of the last ten meetings

* HOU has made more three-pointers in seven of the last nine meetings

Utah hit a new low in Game 5 of this series, as the Jazz was held to 36% shooting by Houston. They were beaten on the boards, they were beaten at the free throw line, they were beaten from beyond the arc. Kyle Korver has made three shots from three-point range in the entire series, and only nine points were produced off the Utah bench, which was such a strength for this team in Game 1.

Rafer Alston was certainly been a boon to the Rockets' efforts, as he has shot 13-for-23 in the two games his team has won. Remember that Alston missed the first two games; with him available, the Rockets have covered the last three games. He has made eleven three-point shots, and has registered a 4-to-1 assists-turnover ratio in the three games he has played. There is no question he has added a spark that was missing in that first pair of games at the Toyota Center, and he's impacted things more than star Utah point guard Deron Williams.

Houston has done a good enough job on Carlos Boozer, who averaged 21 points and shot 55% in the regular season, that Boozer has averaged just 16 points per contest and shot less than 45% in the series. Houston has done a very good job at managing the kind of pick-and-roll plays that have served as Jerry Sloan's bread-and-butter for years.

Keeping in mind that Utah has won 37 out of 41 games at home, there is a reasonable expectation that they will be able to close out the season in this game. But Houston has demonstrated that it can keep pace and make things interesting, even in defeat. With two wins in Salt Lake City in their four tries this season, they have already beaten the percentage performance by the rest of the league - by a long shot.

A lot of the credit goes to Houston's Rick Adelman, who has beaten Utah in three of the four playoff series he has coached against them and is responsible for the defensive adjustments that have held Utah well below their season shooting percentage in each of the last four games.

At the very least, Houston has all the capability in the world to keep this game close. We'll take the 7.5 points with the Rockets, as is posted in the BetUS NBA playoff basketball betting odds.

JAY'S PLAY: HOUSTON

You’ll find the latest 2007-2008 NBA odds and lines in the best online sportsbook, BetUS.com. Betting on NBA player and game props makes every aspect of the game exciting. Join BetUS.com today to bet on the NBA and make online sports betting work for you!

(Charles Jay of http://www.eBookies.com is a freelance writer and handicapper who not only can make his shots from the top of the key, but also contributes with gusto to the BetUS Locker Room)