Utah Jazz headed into offseason despite valiant Game 5 effort

Donovan Mitchell and the Utah Jazz battled in Game 5, but still fell to Chris Paul and the Houston Rockets.

Heading into Tuesday night’s Game 5 showdown with the Houston Rockets, the Utah Jazz seemingly faced certain elimination. The odds just appeared to be too great for any other result. After all, Houston had largely dominated the second-round series, star rookie Donovan Mitchell was scuffling and Ricky Rubio and Dante Exum were both on the shelf with hamstring injuries.

Nevertheless, the Jazz band gave one of their most spirited performances of the postseason, matching the Rockets blow for blow throughout the game and battling to the bitter end.

When the end came, though, the West’s No. 1 seed proved too much to handle. Despite owning the advantage entering the fourth quarter, the Jazz caught the hammer in the clutch. Led by Chris Paul, the Rockets pulled away for a 112-102 series-clinching win.

They’ll advance to the Western Conference Finals where a likely showdown with the Golden State Warriors awaits.

For a moment, it appeared as though the Jazz could steal the win and send the action back to Salt Lake City one more time. After struggling in the game’s first half, Mitchell gave his all in a valiant effort to extend the season in the third quarter, scoring 22 of his team-high 24 points in the period.

That was one more point than the Rockets could muster, and put the Jazz on top for a time.

Unfortunately, he was forced out of action in the clutch, injuring his foot midway through the fourth quarter after a collision with James Harden. X-rays taken at the arena were negative; Mitchell will undergo additional testing upon returning to Utah.

In any event, without their offensive engine, the Jazz stalled out down the stretch.

Meanwhile, CP3 was otherworldly for the Rockets, scoring a career playoff high 41 points. 20 of those came during the final carom, during which the Jazz were outscored 37-24. He also added 10 assists, seven boards and didn’t commit a single turnover in the game. It was a historical effort and one of the best ever by a Jazz postseason opponent.

Paul’s team was plus-20 in his 37 minutes of action for the night.

P.J. Tucker was also huge for Houston. He hit 7-of-9 shots on the night, five of which were 3-point buckets, to finish with 19 points. Time and time again, his longballs acted as daggers to the heart of the surging Jazz.

For Utah, Alec Burks and Royce O’Neale matched Mitchell’s effort to stay alive. They combined for 41 points and kept the Jazz afloat when peaks turned into valleys.

At any rate, the Jazz’s season is now over. Regardless, the team undeniably defied the odds and fought hard until the year’s final buzzer. Coach Quin Snyder summed things up perfectly during his post-game presser —

"“I don’t think our team has ever really looked at what we can’t do, it’s what we can do. That mindset has been one that’s given these guys the chance to have a heck of a season.”"

Stay tuned for The J-Notes for more on the season that was for the Utah Jazz.