The Utah Jazz were incredible in Game 2, but are capable of even more

The Utah Jazz played sensationally in their Game 2 win, but they’re capable of playing even better – a fact which should terrify the opposing Houston Rockets.

After losing Game 1 to the Houston Rockets in embarrassing fashion, practically everybody was counting the Utah Jazz out in not just Game 2, but in the entire series. In the final moments of the pre-game show prior to the game’s start, the TNT crew all but proclaimed them dead in the water, questioning whether or not Utah would even be able to win a single game.

Even at halftime, when the Jazz held a nine-point lead, their confidence in the Jazz coming out on top was slim at best.

Fortunately, the Jazz players didn’t match that doubt. Despite the Houston Rockets going on a blistering run in the third quarter that saw them take a five-point lead over Utah and ultimately outscore them by eight in the period, the Jazz managed to weather the storm. They led by a point going into the fourth and the Rockets only mustered one more lead for the remainder of the game.

The Jazz put together an incredible first half, survived Houston’s epic run, then were phenomenal at the end of the third and entire fourth quarter. In short, the performance was nothing short of brilliant.

And the scariest part about that for Houston? It was far from the best Utah can play. In fact, by improving in a few minor areas, the Jazz could potentially be much, much better.

First of all, although it’s hard to criticize Donovan Mitchell after he made critical play after critical play, including the sensational dunk found below, and also broke John Stockton‘s Jazz rookie single-game assist record with 11 dimes on the night, this was far from Spida’s best game. Mitchell struggled to find his shot as he went just 6-of-21 on the night, finishing with 17 points. It was his first playoff game scoring less than 20 points.

That off shooting night included going just 2-of-8 from behind the three-point line while turning it over three times. Again, it feels silly nit-picking the rookie when his impact and contributions in Wednesday’s game were so magnificent, but the point I’m looking to illustrate is that if Mitchell would’ve had a more typical shooting night, the Jazz would have been even more dominant.

Not only that, but the Jazz also struggled to take care of the ball, turning it over 17 times. Giveaways continue to be a problem for the Jazz that is both restricting their offense while giving Houston extra opportunities. Considering how prolific the Rockets are on that end of the floor, they don’t need any additional help from the Jazz.

Last of all, a major area where the Jazz continued to struggle in Game 2 was in their free throw shooting. They went just 15-of-25 (60 percent) on the night, a dismal percentage. Leaving 10 points at the foul line is never a recipe for success. And if the Jazz had just made half of those that they missed, the game wouldn’t have been nearly as tight down the stretch.

The Jazz are dead last in free throw percentage among playoff teams so far at just 66.5 percent. That’s an odd reversal from the regular season where they were in the top half of the league at 77.9 percent. The turnover problems and free throw shooting woes are certainly areas the Jazz can fix and improve themselves. Had they done so in Game 2, we likely would have seen a blowout in Utah’s favor. If they do that moving forward, they could end up stealing this series.

Not to mention, they’re doing this all without Ricky Rubio. If he is able to return before the end of the series, then watch out, Houston.

But of course, to claim that those things are all that has to occur in order for Utah to win their upcoming slate of games would be shortchanging all they did so well in Game 2. Every player that saw the floor stepped up in major fashion. Dante Exum was solid offensively and mind-blowing defensively as he was able to hold James Harden to just two points in the 22 possessions that he covered him.

Joe Ingles was on fire as he finished with a playoff career-high 27 points on 10-of-13 shooting from the field and 7-of-9 from deep. Rudy Gobert was impressive on both ends. Jae Crowder and Alec Burks were both sensational off the bench. The list goes on and on.

Not only that, but their suffocating defense was able to limit James Harden to just 9-of-22 (40.9 percent) shooting from the field and an appalling 2-of-10 outing from deep. Overall, the Rockets shot just 40 percent from the field and 27 percent from three-point land. Sure, Houston missed some shots they typically make, but the Jazz defense deserves significant credit as well.

It’s more than likely that several things that took place in Game 2 will revert to the norm in Game 3. Houston will likely shoot more efficiently. James Harden will probably get back on track. Utah’s reserves, namely Exum, Crowder and Burks may come back to earth from their scintillating road performance. If it all happens like that, it’s likely that the Rockets will find themselves right back in charge of the game and perhaps the series.

However, considering that Donovan Mitchell is capable of so much more than he showed in Game 2 and that the Jazz as a whole can clean things up significantly from both the free throw line and in the turnover department, even if some areas falter from Game 2 to Game 3, they’re entirely capable of playing a much better game than they did in their narrow win on Wednesday night.

That’s especially true considering that they’ll be playing back on their home court where they’re undefeated in the postseason thus far. Add that all together, and there’s legitimate reason for Houston to be afraid, very afraid.

Next: Utah Jazz: Come for the game, stay for the press conference

The Jazz were magnificent in Game 2, putting together likely their most impressive postseason win yet. But even that game wasn’t quite indicative of what they’re capable of.

Let’s hope they’re saving that for Friday’s Game 3 and Sunday’s Game 4, where they’ll take on the Houston Rockets within the friendly confines of Vivint Smart Home Arena.