NBA Playoff Bracket 2018: TV, Live-Stream Schedule for Wednesday's Semis
The combination of short time between series and the dominant first-half offense of the Houston Rockets hurt the Utah Jazz in Game 1 of the Western Conference semifinals.
Utah is fully rested ahead of Wednesday's Game 2 in which it will try to steal a game from the No. 1 seed in the West before the series shifts to Salt Lake City.
James Harden was once again the star of the show for the Rockets, as he dropped 41 points in Game 1.
Although Houston is the favorite to take Game 2, we can't count out the Donovan Mitchell-led Jazz after the set of performances they produced in the first-round win over Oklahoma City.
Wednesday's NBA Playoffs Schedule
Game 2: Utah at Houston
TV: TNT
Live Stream: TNTdrama.com or TNT app
Houston Needs Better 2nd-Half Performance
Although they went into halftime with a 25-point advantage, the Rockets finished Game 1 wanting a better performance out of themselves.
Utah cut the deficit to 18 points by the end of the third quarter, while Houston's margin of victory was 16.
The good news for Houston is it had such a buffer to play with, but everyone on the roster is aware improvements must be made, per Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle.
"It's good that we won while we struggled," Rockets forward Luc Mbah a Moute said. "In a way it is [helpful]. It is also good for them, I think. They did a good job in the second half. We didn't play our best. We turned the ball over."
"They made some key stops. We didn't score the ball as well as we did in the first half," Mbah a Moute said. "I think they have something they can look forward to. For us, as well."
If Houston is able to make the necessary adjustments in the second half, it should open up a two-game series advantage.
One of the main factors in winning Game 2 is Harden, who made 12 of his 26 field-goal attempts Sunday.
Stopping Harden is difficult for any team, and as Rockets head coach Mike D'Antoni noted, there are few franchises with the ability to halt the progress of the Most Valuable Player candidate, per ESPN's Tim McMahon:
He doesn't have to score 41 points, especially if three others join him in double digits once again, but he has to put pressure on the Jazz defense from the jump.
When the second half comes around, the Rockets need to be cleaner with the ball and avoid a run from the visitors.
As long as Game 1's issues are corrected, the Rockets should be halfway to the West final by Wednesday's end.
Jazz Looking For More Production From Starters
Derrick Favors and Royce O'Neale combined for nine points in 53 minutes in Game 1.
Jae Crowder more than doubled that total himself with 21 points off the bench in 32 minutes on the hardwood.
In order to stick with the offensive firepower of the Rockets, the Jazz can't just rely on Mitchell to turn in marvelous performances like he did during the first round.
Every member of the supporting cast needs to be at their best in order for Utah to steal a game in Houston before returning home.
Favors, who was one of the X-factors against the Thunder, wasn't a force on the boards either, as he produced a pair of rebounds to accompany his measly scoring total.
O'Neale did a little more than Favors, as he added four assists, four steals and three rebounds, but the drop off in scoring still hurt.
In an ideal situation, Mitchell leads the Jazz in scoring, while Rudy Gobert and Joe Ingles contribute double-digit point totals and Crowder is effective off the bench.
What also needs to occur in that scenario is Favors muscling down low in order to prevent second-chance opportunities for the Rockets and create more chances in the same category for his team.
O'Neale, who shot 42.3 percent from the field and 35.6 percent from three-point range in the regular season, doesn't have to play like a superstar, but he needs to add a few key buckets to go along with the contributions in other stat categories.
Because Houston's stars are so dynamic, the Jazz might even need Dante Exum or Alec Burks to add more off the bench in order to keep the hosts off balance.
Utah proved in the first round it is capable of tackling a behemoth, but in order for that to occur in Game 2, everything has to go right for Quin Snyder's team.
Follow Joe on Twitter, @JTansey90.
Statistics obtained from NBA.com.
