Donovan, Jazz survive with Game 4 victory over Rockets
SALT LAKE CITY — Donovan Mitchell turned a rough start into a fantastic finish.
Mitchell dominated in the fourth quarter, rallying the Utah Jazz to a 107-91 victory over the Houston Rockets in Game 4 of their Western Conference series on Monday.
Mitchell scored 19 of his 31 points in the final quarter to help the Jazz pull away for their first win in the series.
Utah staved off elimination and forced a Game 5 in Houston on Wednesday.
Mitchell’s late-game performance helped the secondyear guard make up for struggles earlier. He turned the ball over twice in the first two minutes and shot just 36 percent from the field in the first three quarters before going 6 of 12 in the fourth.
Mitchell never lost confidence that he could turn it around.
“My teammates have had my back with every mistake, everything I’ve done well,” Mitchell said. “When you have that support system in the locker room every day, it makes it easier when you start the game with two straight turnovers.”
Jae Crowder scored 23 points. Ricky Rubio chipped in 18 points and 11 assists and Derrick Favors finished with 12 points and 11 rebounds.
James Harden scored 30 points to lead Houston. Chris Paul added 23 points, eight rebounds and seven assists. Eric Gordon chipped in 16 points.
Utah’s offense got a major boost from Crowder and Rubio in the first quarter. The duo combined for 25 points on 9of-11 shooting in the period to help the Jazz carve out a double-digit lead.
Then the Jazz opened the fourth quarter with a 15-1 run and outscored the Rockets 3112 during the period.
“Of course, we wanted to end it tonight,” Harden said. “We had plenty of opportunities. They made some plays in that fourth quarter and we didn’t.”