December 2nd - The Jazz defeated the Rockets 133-125. In this game, Rockets stars Durant and Shen Jing combined for 63 points, but it was n't enough to prevent a loss; for the Jazz, Markkanen and George both had breakout performances, securing the victory for their team.

At the start of the game, Nurkic and Markkanen scored consecutively, while the Rockets responded quickly with Shen Jing and Thompson. With Thompson's alley-oop, the Rockets finished the first quarter with a 32-31 lead. In the second quarter, the Jazz saw Mykhailiuk and George hit consecutive three-pointers, instantly widening the gap to 9 points. Before halftime, George took over the game, scoring 10 points in the quarter and helping the Jazz lead 68-57 .

After switching sides, Nurkic's hook shot extended the lead to 21 points. Late in the quarter, Shen Jing drew fouls and led a comeback, narrowing the gap to 9 points, ending the third quarter trailing 89-98 . In the final quarter, Durant hit a crucial three-pointer, and Shen Jing continued to create threats in the paint, bringing the deficit to just one point. However, Markkanen and George hit consecutive long-range shots to stabilize the situation. Ultimately, the Jazz defeated the Rockets 133-125 .

Jazz player statistics

Markkanen 29 points , 8 rebounds; George 28 points , 4 rebounds , 8 assists; Nurkic 18 points, 9 rebounds , 2 assists; Bailey 13 points , 3 rebounds , 3 assists , 2 steals, 3 blocks; Flipovski 12 points, 7 rebounds , 3 assists; Love 11 points , 5 rebounds , 1 assist; Mykhailiuk 10 points , 6 rebounds , 5 assists; Clayton 8 points , 5 rebounds , 6 assists

Rockets player statistics

Durant 32 points , 9 rebounds , 5 assists; Shen Jing 31 points , 8 rebounds, 14 assists , 2 steals , 5 blocks; Thompson 23 points , 8 rebounds , 3 assists , 2 blocks; Smith 12 points , 7 rebounds , 1 assist; Holiday 10 points , 2 rebounds , 2 assists; Shepard 9 points , 2 rebounds , 2 assists; Tate 6 points , 6 rebounds , 2 steals; Capela 2 points, 3 rebounds; Okogie 1 rebound .