For as many things as the Utah Jazz did well in game two’s victory on the road against the Houston Rockets, they were equally outplayed Friday night in a disheartening 113-92 loss, leading to a 2-1 series lead for the number one overall seed.
The Rockets were sharp from the opening tip, jumping out to a 10-3 run to start the game, and leading 39-22 after the the first quarter. Despite a few mini runs from the Jazz, they could never truly get the game to back within striking distance, and Houston casually built on their lead through the game’s first three quarters.
Donovan Mitchell had his first truly poor game of the postseason, finishing with 10 points on 4-16 shooting, and was a team worst -31 on the night. Derrick Favors had the best +/- of the Jazz starters, and was still a staggering -19 in just 13 minutes. Favors left the game with an ankle sprain in the second half which limited his minutes.
The Rockets were able to do most of their damage inside the three point line, which is concerning for the Jazz who are looking to run Houston off the of the three point line. The Rockets finished with just 11 made threes on 36 attempts. This type of win despite lacking a truly elite offensive performance has the Rockets again looking like a championship contender.
The Jazz will host the Rockets in game four on Sunday night in Salt Lake City.
