Rockets vs. Jazz final score: James Harden ill, Houston buried in 102-91 loss

With James Harden ill, the Houston Rockets lost to the Utah Jazz, 102-91, on Monday night in Salt Lake City.

Even as Harden played 17 minutes in the first half, the Jazz poured on a big second quarter by outscoring the Rockets, 32-18, for a 61-44 halftime lead. Harden stayed in the locker room in an attempt to hydrate, but never came back out in the second half and finished with six points on the night.

The Jazz beat the Rockets down the floor several times in the second half for transition buckets to build the big lead. Gordon Hayward led the Jazz in scoring with 15 points while playing 19 minutes off the bench. Six other Utah players scored eight points or more in the win.

Patrick Patterson led the Rockets with 19 points on 8-14 shooting. The rest of Houston's starters shot a combined 9-37 in the loss, which dropped the team's record to 4-7 on the year. Omer Asik scored just two points and grabbed only seven rebounds, a full six boards fewer than his average.

Houston starts a three-game homestand on Wednesday, Nov. 21, against the Chicago Bulls.