• So much for crumbling under postseason pressure. The Houston Rockets, facing a slew of new questions from a skeptical basketball world after losing at Toyota Center two days ago, beat the Utah Jazz 113-92 on Friday night, wrestling back home-court advantage with an utterly dominant performance en route to a 2-1 lead in the Western Conference Semifinals.

    James Harden had 25 points, 12 assists and one turnover in just 30 minutes of play, setting the tone from the opening tip offensively by letting the game come to him. Eric Gordon answered that call with aplomb, scoring a playoff-high 25 points on 8-of-13 shooting. Chris Paul had 17 points, seven rebounds and six assists, while Clint Capela chipped in 11 points, eight rebounds, four assists, two steals and four blocks, speaking to his supreme impact defensively.

    Two basic schematic adjustments made a major difference for Mike D’Antoni‘s team in Game 3. The Rockets let Harden work mostly away from the ball early, yielding floor-general responsibilities to Paul. After catching on the wing with a head of steam, always following a ball screen or dribble hand-off, Harden routinely had the Jazz at his mercy while help defenders rotated behind the action, still spaced behind a perfectly-spaced floor. He lofted in soft floaters over Rudy Gobert, fed Capela for a number of thunderous dunks and, overall, promoted the type of energy and activity that Houston, which doled out 25 assists despite going just 11-of-36 from three, occasionally lacks.

    https://twitter.com/MidRangeBR/status/992597965113122817

    https://twitter.com/HoustonRockets/status/992607126152298496

    Utah confused the Rockets in Game 2 by sprinting into screens and immediately slipping out of them, creating a fleeting passing lane before the defenders involved could finish completing a switch. The Rockets were ready for the same action 48 hours later. They communicated early and often defending both on and off the ball, anticipating picks and passing off individual assignments before the Jazz had an opportunity to exploit any advantage gained – if one briefly materialized at all.

    The Jazz were notably stagnant offensively as a result, settling for isolations, long two-pointers and awkward drives against swarming interior defense. Mitchell was the worst culprit, a reality owed to the even heavier offensive burden he shoulders absent Ricky Rubio, plus his lack of experience playing against postseason defenses geared toward stopping him. Time and again, the rookie drove the paint without a plan, getting his shoulder past the initial line of defense before forcing up shots through a canopy of arms. Mitchell had 10 points and three assists on 4-of-16 shooting, and was scoreless from the paint, missing his first six tries, until extended garbage time.

    He didn’t get the help he received in Game 2, either. Vivint Smart Home arena was absolutely rocking after Ingles kicked things off by hitting a deep triple on Utah’s first possession. That was hardly a harbinger of things to come, though, as Ingles missed six consecutive shots and committed five turnovers before scoring again, finishing with six points on 2-of-10 shooting. Derrick Favors, who rolled his left ankle in the third quarter and didn’t return, took two awful jumpers in the opening moments, further contributing to his team’s cramped spacing on offense. Jae Crowder, red hot coming into Game 3, was 1-of-6 from the field. Royce O’Neale was a bright spot, scoring seven straight points during a mini run in the second quarter, and Alec Burks and Dante Exum both had moments off the bench. Rudy Gobert wasn’t the problem for Utah, but still padded his stat line late on his way to 12 points and nine rebounds on 6-of-8 shooting.

    Fortunes change fast in the playoffs. Just two days ago, the Jazz were riding high, their first mission accomplished by stealing a game in Houston with two more awaiting in Salt Lake City. Three days before that, the Rockets seemed on their way to a second-round sweep, taking a 25-point halftime lead over Utah in a 110-96 victory.

    The Rockets, though, were up 70-40 at intermission on Friday, and held a 38-point lead in the third quarter. Could they really lose to the Jazz again, let alone lose this series entirely? Only time will tell. Game 4 is Sunday.

0 0 votes
Article Rating
Subscribe
Notify of
guest

0 Comments
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments
0
Would love your thoughts, please comment.x
()
x