Rockets Hit the Road, Seek to Silence Utah’s Hopes in Game 3
Road Warriors. Shooting into Silence. The Best of Us.
Houston storms into Salt Lake City on Saturday night, facing the Jazz in the pivotal Game 3 of this series. The Rockets hold a 2-0 series lead after holding serve and winning the first two games at home in blowout-fashion. A win tonight would give Houston a commanding 3-0 lead in the series, a deficit from which no team in NBA history has ever recovered. James Harden, has led the way, like he’s done all season. Coming off a triple-double in Game 2, Harden is not the Playoff-Beard of old. The reigning-MVP has his eyes dead-set on a different trophy. One that comes with a ring.
Utah’s season is on the line tonight. Lucky for them, they’ll have their raucous, obnoxious home crowd behind them on every play. But, the Jazz might want to take note: the Rockets are road warriors who relish this sort of opportunity. Last season, Houston won both matchups in Salt Lake City, and they split the pair in the regular season this year. After Game 2, P.J. Tucker spoke on the Rockets hitting the road: “We play great on the road. The energy, us against the entire arena, I don’t know what it is, but it brings out the best in us… Fans are going to come out, be excited. We’re ready to play.” Sounds of doom for the Jazz, unless they can get Donovan Mitchell going.
Houston has done a marvelous job on Mitchell the entire series. Specifically, Eric Gordon and Austin Rivers done the majority of guarding Utah’s best player. And they’ve shut him down. Mitchell already has bridge named after him in SLC. In this series, he’s already been hit with troubled waters, via Splash Gordon. The emergence of EG since the All-Star break has been a major key to Houston’s resurgence and consistency late in the season.
Utah has one of the best home-court advantages in the league. As is the case, role players perform at a higher level at home. So expect Joe Ingles, who has been non-existent, to be a factor, along with Jae Crowder. Houston needs to keep these guys in check, along with Ricky Rubio. Rubio’s confidence wanes when he plays the Rockets. James Harden needs to continue to roast the confidence out of Rubio, which shouldn’t be a problem for the reigning MVP.
The Beard’s had plenty of rest over the first two blowout victories. Harden is pacing himself for the ultimate goal. If the Rockets start the game with the same intensity and focus as they did in Houston, Harden and co. should be able to shoot their way to silence the Salt Lake crowd. The Jazz will be a much better team than the squad the Rockets faced in Houston. Salt Lake City has never been an easy place to get a victory. But, Houston is locked in with a Championship-level mindset. And as Tucker said, playing on the road brings out the best in the Rockets. Jazz fans may not be excited for long. Houston’s ready to play.
Vivint Smart Home Arena: Salt Lake City, Utah
Jersey Colors:
Houston Rockets (2-0): Black
Utah Jazz (0-2): Rainbow Orange
TV: 9:30 PM CT – TNT, ATT Sportsnet SW