Rockets Give Jazz a Second Chance, Fall in Utah, 107-91
Problems on the Glass. Pest Issues. No Shame in Defeat.
Houston couldn’t rebound to save their life. The Rockets gave Utah too many second chances, and the Jazz took advantage of Houston’s defensive rebounding deficiencies to take Game 4, 107-91, Monday night in Utah. The series now gets extended to a Game 5, which takes place in Houston on Wednesday night. James Harden’s shooting wasn’t the issue for the Rockets in Game 4. Houston got manhandled by Utah on the glass. The Jazz won the rebounding battle, and got more second chances than any Houston opponent all season long. Clint Capela is battling a virus or two, and hasn’t looked right. That has something to with the Rockets rebounding issues, but it’s still no excuse to get dominated on the glass the way Houston did in Game 4. Hopefully a return home will get the Rockets back to manning the paint and boxing out. They also need Clint Capela to get healthy, and quick, Houston is not the force they are inside, or as a team, without Capela.
Despite the final score, Houston was competitive throughout the majority of Game 4. That is, until they had pest issues. Donovan Mitchell, aka “Spida” Mitchell went off for 19 points in the fourth quarter, outscoring Houston by himself. James Harden even had more points in the fourth quarter of Game 3 (14), than the Rockets had as a team (12) in the final quarter of Game 4. Houston’s 12 points were a low for a quarter this postseason. The Rockets missed 13 consecutive three-point attempts, and got outhustled in the battle for boards. Last game, Harden couldn’t make a shot in until the fourth quarter. In Game 4, the Beard was very quiet in the final quarter. Harden took only three shots, scoring 5 points. Not enough for the Rockets to get it done, especially in their next series against the defending Champs. Houston’s MVP needs to be more aggressive late in games for the Rockets to have a chance to win the title. Houston needs to really focus on getting to the loose ball in Game 5, and hope Donovan Mitchell isn’t still in a groove from Game 4. And if these shooting spells, that have spelled doom for Houston in the past (Game 7 of last year’s WCF), become a trend, the Rockets could be in trouble in the future. Houston needs to adjust on the fly if their shots aren’t falling. In situations like Game 4, the Rockets would have been better off deterring from their game plan, and attacking the basket. Houston has too many guys who can create off the dribble not to take advantage of the easy baskets they can create for themselves. The Rockets need to realize this, and stem from their trigger-happy ways from deep when the shots aren’t falling.
Mama said there’d be days like this. The Rockets were expected to sweep the Jazz. Before the series started, most (including myself) picked Houston to win in 5 games. That will be the likely result, as long as the Rockets regroup and realize they just had a bad game. It happens. Houston is the better team in this series, and despite Game 4’s result, the Rockets are still better than the Jazz. There’s no shame in Monday night’s loss. Sure, the team could have played better, and attacked the basket more in the final quarter, but there’s a reason no team is getting swept out West. The Western Conference was better than ever this season, and no team has yet to punch their ticket to the second round. The fact Houston managed to win the first 3 games against a Utah team that had the second-best record after the All-Star break (besides the Rockets) is a testament to how good this Houston team really is. The Rockets had an off-night in Game 4, yet still led the contest entering the fourth quarter. There’s no reason to think this group has lost any confidence. Houston will aim to prove this back home in Game 5 on Wednesday night. The Rockets blew the Jazz out of the building in Games 1 and 2 in Houston. There’s no reason to think they can’t rebound from Monday’s loss, and do the same in Game 5.