Poise remains intact after Rockets rally
Utah has number of contributors in clutch road win
Utah Jazz guard Donovan Mitchell swung from the rim and howled as he glared into the stands then at his bench after slamming down a thunderous putback dunk with six minutes remaining in the game.
The Jazz pulled out a 116-108 victory on Wednesday night at Toyota Center after the Rockets had erased a 19-point gap to take the lead in the fourth quarter. Mitchell’s jam might have been the exclamation point in Utah’s effort to recapture that lead and hold on to send the series back to Vivint Smart Home Arena even at a game apiece.
“I thought our reads offensively were better, guys were able to be aggressive because of that. They were making quicker decisions,” Jazz coach Quin Snyder said. “I think we were more disciplined, and that maybe allowed us to be stronger defensively.”
Mitchell is ranked sixth in the NBA in postseason scoring at 26.1 points per game. He attributed his more modest Game 2 success to better reads and greater poise. But more crucial than his 17 points and 11 assists were Joe Ingles and Utah’s bench.
Ingles took the reins, draining timely 3-pointers to extend Utah’s momentum when the team went on runs. He scored a career-high 27 points, the first time someone other than Mitchell had led the Jazz in scoring in the playoffs.
Seventh-year shooting guard Alec Burks led the surge from the bench. He recorded his highest point total since Jan. 22 with 17 points on top of six assists. Forward Jae Crowder contributed a double-double with 15 points and 10 rebounds. Three Jazz players (Burks, Crowder and Dante Exum) scored off the bench as they outscored the Rockets’ reserves 41-22.
“They made runs. We knew they were going to make runs and I think we stayed poised and stuck together and just kept executing when we got good looks,” Ingles said. “Just sticking together and I think we did a really good job of that. We were able to make our own runs when it was our turn.”
Snyder praised the contributions of Burks and Exum.
“I think the guys that are coming off the bench know that they have the confidence of both the staff and the other guys on the team to attack,” Snyder said. “When guys have confidence in each other it allows them the confidence individually to step up.
“We had six guys in double figures so that speaks to those guys playing at a high level.”
After losing their playoff opener to Oklahoma City, Utah captured the next three games of the first-round series. The Rockets will head to Salt Lake City for Friday’s Game 3 hoping to avoid the same fate.
“We can correct the necessary focus we need to have. You can get lulled to sleep to think this stuff is easy. It’s not easy, this is the NBA, this is the semifinals, it’s not easy,” Rockets coach Mike D’Antoni said.
“Series is on, we have to get it going now.”