Jazz heading home, looking for 2-1 lead on Rockets
Quin Snyder walked into his news conference after Game 2 of the Western Conference semifinals with a stoic look, slowly rubbing his forehead, barely if ever cracking anything that would resemble a smile.
And he was on the winning side.
This much is clear about the Utah Jazz: They are not surprising themselves by being in this position. A team that was written off by Vegas oddsmakers and alleged experts coming into the season after losing Gordon Hayward in free agency won 48 games, ousted reigning MVP Russell Westbrook and Oklahoma City in the first round, and now have the Houston Rockets in a bit of trouble.
The Jazz stole homecourt from Houston with a win on Wednesday night, and now look to take a 2-1 lead when the series shifts to Salt Lake City for Game 3 tonight.
“When guys have confidence in each other, it allows them, I think, the confidence individually to step up,” Snyder said.
Confidence is not an issue for the Jazz.
Even on a night where Donovan Mitchell shot 6 for 21 and fellow rookie backcourt starter Royce O’Neale shot 2 for 5, the Jazz won thanks largely to a great start and a great bench. Utah’s reserves outscored Houston’s 41-22 in Game 2 and that, combined with a 27-point night from Joe Ingles, was enough for the Jazz.
There’s a pair of Game 3s on the schedule today, both out West, and the other being Golden State going to New Orleans. The Warriors lead that matchup 2-0, the 11th time in Golden State’s last 14 series that they’ve opened with a pair of victories.
“No pressure for us,” New Orleans star Anthony Davis said. “We just go out there and play, have fun, enjoy the moment and embrace it. The rest will take care of itself. We’re going to make shots here at home and it’s going to be a lot tougher for them.”
Even down 2-0, the Pelicans insist that they can play freely.
Same goes for the Jazz. Hardly anyone outside of Salt Lake City a few months ago probably expected the Jazz to be in the second round of these playoffs, or to have grabbed home-court away from Houston. Snyder never conceded anything, though, and the Jazz holdovers from the Hayward years say the franchise has improved even in what was supposed to be a transition year.
“I feel like we’re a better team,” Jazz center Rudy Gobert said.
Warriors at Pelicans
Warriors lead 2-0. Game 3, 8 p.m. EDT, ESPN.
While Warriors star Stephen Curry is back from a five-week injury layoff and is expected to start Game 3, New Orleans looked far more competitive after Curry’s return in Game 2. New Orleans had won nine straight — their last five regular season games and a firstround sweep of thirdseeded Portland — before a Game 1, 22-point drubbing.
New Orleans regrouped for Game 2 and lost by just five points. “Of course, we wanted to get one up there, but I think the thing that we took out of it was: Game 1, we got punched in the mouth and Game 2 we came back and responded,” Pelicans All-Star forward Anthony Davis said. “We didn’t win, but we showed a lot of great signs — and Game 3 we’ll be back at home.”
Rockets at Jazz
Series tied 1-1. Game 3, 10:30 p.m. EDT, ESPN.
Adversity, meet the Rockets. A team that had winning streaks of 11, 14 and 17 games in the regular season has now ceded home-court advantage to the Jazz. It’s not panic time for the NBA’s No. 1 overall seed yet — it’s only 1-1 — but Houston must expect Mitchell to shoot better at home in Game 3 than he did on the Rockets’ home floor in Game 2.