Houston Rockets clamp down on Utah Jazz for 3-1 series lead
Warriors rout Pelicans to also go up 3-1 in NBA playoffs
Chris Paul and Clint Capela recorded double-doubles and the visiting Houston Rockets turned a stifling defensive performance into a 100-87 win over the Utah Jazz on Sunday and a 3-1 lead in the Western Conference semifinals.
The Rockets can close out the bestof-seven series on Tuesday in Game 5 at Houston.
With the Rockets shooting miserably from the perimeter – Houston missed 28 of 38 three-point attempts – Paul was a terror in the midrange, finishing with a game-high 27 points plus 12 rebounds, six assists and two steals. He committed just one turnover on his 33rd birthday.
Capela continued his series-long domination of Jazz center Rudy Gobert, posting 12 points, 15 rebounds, six blocks and two steals. James Harden scored 24 points on 8-of-22 shooting.
The Jazz were stifled throughout offensively, shooting a series-worst 38.6%, including 7 for 29 on threepoint attempts.
Donovan Mitchell paced Utah with 25 points but shot 8 of 24 from the floor. Joe Ingles added 15 points and eight boards while Gobert had 11 points and 10 boards but had a gameworst minus-27 rating.
Even though the Rockets posted a wire-to-wire win, Paul isn’t ready to declare victory in the series.
“It’s the process, man,” he said postgame on TNT. “I’ve been here before, 3-1. [Stuff] went bad real quick. It is what it is. We’re just enjoying the process. Get home, see my family. A real birthday gift. I’ll take it.”
The 3-1 lead he was referring to was the 2015 Western Conference semifinals, when Paul and the Los Angeles Clippers fell to Harden and the Rockets.
Houston led Sunday by as many as 19 points.
The Rockets didn’t allow the desperate Jazz an early emotional foothold, darting to an eight-point lead by the midpoint of the first quarter and holding on through a Utah run led by Dante Exum, who scored nine points on 4-of-5 shooting in the opening period.
The penultimate Exum basket of the first pulled the Jazz to within 21-19, but Houston pushed the lead back to seven and stretched it to 38-23 when Luc Mbah a Moute converted a threepoint play early in the second.
That early burst in the second provided the Rockets the cushion they needed to overcome their errant shooting.
Harden and Paul combined for 30 first-half points but missed all six of their three-point attempts. Houston had to rely on defense, and it proved up to the task until Mitchell caught fire late in the half, scoring eight consecutive points to pull the Jazz to within five points. Harden then converted a driving layup and Paul a three-point play to push the lead to 58-48 at the break. KEVIN DURANT scored 38 points as the Golden State Warriors increased their series lead to 3-1 with a 118-92 victory over the home-standing New Orleans Pelicans on Sunday afternoon in the Smoothie King Center.
The defending NBA champion Warriors can close out the Western Conference semifinal series when they host Game 5 on Tuesday night.
Stephen Curry added 23 points, Klay Thompson scored 13 and Quinn Cook came off the bench to score 12 for Golden State.
Durant hit 15 of 27 shots from the floor.
“I’m at my best when I’m free and having fun and forceful, I think that was the thing, to just try and play with force,” Durant said. “It don’t matter if I miss shots or not. Just keep shooting. Keep being aggressive.”
Anthony Davis had 26 points and 12 rebounds to lead the Pelicans, who were looking to even the series after a 119-100 victory Friday. E’Twaun Moore scored 20 and Jrue Holiday had 19.
Golden State shot 48.4% from the floor, including 33% on three-pointers, and New Orleans shot 36.4%, including just 15% on three-pointers.
The Warriors, who led by as many as 18 points in the first quarter before settling for a seven-point halftime lead, quickly rebuilt the margin to start the third quarter. Curry’s three-pointer completed an opening 10-2 run that gave Golden State a 71-56 lead barely two minutes into the second half.
The closest the Pelicans could get was 11 points before the Warriors built the lead to 23 and took a 94-73 advantage after three quarters.
“I thought they were really good defensively,” Pelicans coach Alvin Gentry said. “I thought KD (Durant) was really locked in defensively. They can run you off the three-point line because they’re so long that they can give you a step, but they can also challenge shots. I thought they did a real good job with that. Then I thought we pressed a bit when we got behind.”
The Warriors began the game with more intensity than they showed in Game 3, and it was evident on both ends of the court.
Golden State shot 60% and New Orleans shot 29% in the first quarter, which ended with the Warriors holding a 37-22 lead.
“KD and Steph [Curry] were more strategic,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr said. “They already know: Stars have to be stars in the playoffs. Steph and KD don’t need to be told that, but my job as a coach is to try to help them strategically. So I talked to both of them about how I thought they could attack and create better shots, and we just did a much better job executing offensively tonight as a group.”
The Pelicans chipped away in the second quarter, thanks in large part to their ability to make three-pointers and get to the foul line.
The Warriors made one more field goal than the Pelicans in the second quarter (11-10), but New Orleans made three three-pointers and nine free throws and Golden State missed all six of its three-point attempts and sank just two free throws.
The Pelicans got as close as four points before the Warriors took a 61-54 halftime lead behind Durant’s 20 points. (Reuters)