Utah Jazz look to survive another day vs. Houston: Preview and game thread

The Utah Jazz were impressive in Game 4 against the Houston Rockets, but they’ll face a much more daunting task in Game 5 on the road.

Just as easily as the series between the Utah Jazz and Houston Rockets could be knotted at two games apiece, it could also already be over via a sweep. Yes, blowing Game 3 is painful after Utah’s masterful performance in Game 4, but the Jazz aren’t about to look behind them. Instead, they have but one choice remaining – take each contest one game at a time and aim to survive another day.

As disappointing as it was to see the Jazz go down 3-0, it’s left them in a quite simple situation for the rest of the series. Win and stay alive. Lose and go home.

They answered the call in Game 4, turning in an amazing 31-12 fourth quarter on the back of Donovan Mitchell‘s 19 points in the final period alone out of a total of 31. It was the first time the Jazz actually looked confident in the series and able to execute on both ends of the floor.

But keeping it close for most of Game 3 and dominating down the stretch in Game 4 were quite doable within the friendly confines of Vivint Smart Home Arena. Replicating that kind of play at the Toyota Center will be no easy task and certainly hasn’t been thus far. Utah was run out of the building in Game 1, losing by 32 points, and did only slightly better in the next contest, falling by 20.

The Jazz have done little to nothing to instill confidence in their fans that they’ll be able to compete in Houston. And if they play even half as poorly as they did in the first two contests, this game will result in a gentleman’s sweep yet again, just as it did a season ago. But on the flip side, if the Jazz can carry over some of the confidence they displayed in Game 4, perhaps they can live to see another day.

The answers in Game 4 were a combination of things. On the Jazz’s side, role players such as Jae Crowder and Ricky Rubio finally stepped up and provided much-needed help that had been absent for the series previously. If guys like Joe Ingles and Kyle Korver can similarly step up in Game 5 as well, the Jazz may have a chance.

Then, the Jazz also got a tremendous finish out of Mitchell. As Utah’s lone offensive star, Donovan will have to once again carry a vital burden and come up big if his team is to have any hope. On the opposite end of the floor, Utah played the best defense they have of the series, keeping James Harden and Chris Paul in check in the final period and improving their help defense such that Clint Capela only managed four points.

However, there were a lot of aspects of the game that felt just a little fluky. Harden and Paul won’t normally struggle as they did in the fourth quarter despite Utah’s better execution. Capela clearly wasn’t feeling well and that had an impact on his performance. Typically Houston’s role players step up when the reigning MVP goes cold, but even they weren’t able to come through when it mattered most.

In other words, it was merely one poor quarter after 15 that had largely been played exceptionally well by the Rockets. That’s not great odds for the Jazz especially in a hostile environment. In other words, winning Game 5 and especially winning anything beyond that is going to be extremely difficult for Utah.

But that doesn’t mean they’re dead in the water. They proved as much in Game 4 where they could have just rolled over and accepted an early summer vacation. Instead it means they’ll just have to excel in the same manner that they did in Game 4, somehow taking that same confidence and momentum on the road.

Believe me when I say it’s possible and if any team can do it, I believe in this Jazz squad’s ability to be the first one to make history by overcoming a 3-0 deficit. As unfathomable as it may seem, so did qualifying for the playoffs and earning a first-round win a year ago when Utah was sitting at 19-28 in late January.

That said, just because I believe it’s possible, doesn’t mean I believe it’s probable. And unfortunately for the Jazz, I believe they’ve simply been outmatched this series especially in Houston and we’ll likely see that yet again in full force in Game 5 where Utah’s otherwise exhilarating season will probably come to an abrupt end.

Game 5 Prediction: Rockets 112, Jazz 101

The Jazz and Rockets tip-off for what could be Utah’s final game of the 2018-19 season on Wednesday at 6:00 PM MT on TNT.