James Harden, Rockets Beat Donovan Mitchell, Jazz Behind Chris Paul's Huge Night
The Houston Rockets are one win away from their second trip to the Western Conference Finals in four years.
Houston seized a 3-1 lead in its playoff series against the Utah Jazz on Sunday with a 100-87 victory in Game 4 at Vivint Smart Home Arena. As a result, all four second-round postseason series are 3-0 or 3-1 as the Rockets, Golden State Warriors, Cleveland Cavaliers and Boston Celtics close in on the next round.
Chris Paul led the way with 27 points, 12 rebounds and six assists behind 12-of-23 shooting from the field, while James Harden added 24 points, four rebounds, three dimes and four steals. Donovan Mitchell spearheaded the Jazz's offensive attack with 25 points, nine rebounds and four steals, but his side didn't have the firepower to counter the top seed's All-Star backcourt.
Sunday's matchup—and the series as a whole—set up as a defensive battle considering the Jazz boasted the league's second-best defensive rating during the regular season compared to Houston's sixth-best, per NBA.com.
The defensive prowess on each side was on display for stretches with Clint Capela and Rudy Gobert protecting the rim and wings swarming outside shooters, which put the onus on the individual offensive players to execute difficult shots and plays.
The difference was the Rockets have two of the best offensive playmakers of their generation handling the ball on almost every possession to do just that.
Harden did much of his damage early with a combination of pick-and-rolls, step-back jumpers and drives, where he would either draw contact, finish at the rim or free up his teammates. It wasn't all great for the MVP candidate, though, as he struggled with turnovers (eight) and finding his rhythm (8-of-22 from the field) down the stretch when Utah dialed up the defensive pressure.
That's when Paul took over.
The nine-time All-Star played early stretches with the second unit and extended the advantage to double digits with a mix of floaters and mid-range jumpers. He also served as the primary ball-handler after the Jazz closed to single digits in the fourth quarter and probed the defense in critical moments to create looks at the rim for Capela (12 points and 15 rebounds) or himself.
His presence helped keep Utah at bay even with Mitchell doing his best to penetrate and find some type of offense against the stout Houston defense.
The point guard's efforts were even more important considering the inconsistent performance from Houston's supporting cast. While the likes of Trevor Ariza, Eric Gordon and PJ Tucker have drained threes throughout the season, no Rocket outside of the All-Star backcourt had more than 12 points in the contest.
While the supporting cast didn't make a monster offensive impact, it was critical in stifling the Jazz. The home team shot an abysmal 38.6 percent from the field and 24.1 percent from three-point range with 16 turnovers.
Mitchell attempted to put the offense on his back and went into takeover mode in the second quarter by gliding through the defense and mixing in multiple acrobatic finishes. Utah isolated him with Capela at times, which pulled the big man from the rim and opened driving lanes for the rookie.
Dante Exum also attacked hard off the dribble and took advantage of slow defensive switches in the first half.
However, early foul trouble forced him to the bench as Houston pulled away before the Jazz announced he would miss the fourth quarter with hamstring soreness. That left a Utah team already without the injured Ricky Rubio further short-handed in the backcourt.
With Exum hurting, the three-pointers not falling and Houston keying on Mitchell, the Jazz couldn't muster enough offense down the stretch to overcome the hole they dug themselves.
As a result, they must win on the road at Toyota Center in Tuesday's Game 5 to preserve their season.
