NBA Playoffs 2018: Houston Rockets vs. Utah Jazz Game 3 live stream: Watch online
By Jason Patt
The Utah Jazz stole Game 2 on the road, and now they head home looking to take a 2-1 series lead over the top-seeded Houston Rockets.
The Utah Jazz got walloped by the Houston Rockets in Game 1 of the Western Conference Semifinals, leading many to believe that this would be a short series. The Jazz promptly went out and stole Game 2, setting up a much more intriguing Game 3 in Utah on Friday night.
Utah gave Houston a taste of its own medicine in Game 2 by burying 15 3-pointers and winning the 3-point battle by 15 points. Joe Ingles set a franchise playoff record with seven long balls en route to a playoff career-high 27 points.
Rookie Donovan Mitchell didn’t shoot well and had his 20-point streak snapped at seven games, but he did an excellent job running the offense in the continued absence of Ricky Rubio. Mitchell racked up a career-high 11 assists, with four of them coming in the game-deciding fourth quarter.
It’s unclear if Rubio will return from his hamstring injury for Game 3, but Mitchell showed he can effectively direct the offense. The Rockets will come up with adjustments in an attempt to make the rookie more uncomfortable, so the Jazz will have to make their own counter adjustments.
Houston got 32 points from James Harden in Game 2, but he shot just 2-of-10 from 3-land as part of a 10-of-37 team effort. The Rockets shot 40 percent from the field overall, with an ugly 24 percent showing in the fourth quarter.
A legitimate bright spot for Houston was the play of center Clint Capela. The Swiss big man notched 21 points and 11 rebounds as he continues to terrorize around the basket during an impressive postseason. The Harden-Capela connection is one of the Rockets’ biggest weapons and is a consistent source of easy baskets, which the Jazz will try to limit as this series goes on.
Date: Friday, May 4
Time: 10:30 p.m. ET
Location: Salt Lake City, Utah
Venue: Vivint Smart Home Arena
TV Info: ESPN
Live Stream: Watch live on FuboTV. Sign up now for a free seven-day trial. Cable subscribers can also watch on WatchESPN.
Next: All live stream info in one place
The Jazz outscoring the Rockets by 15 points from beyond the arc may not happen again, but Utah continues to prove its doubters wrong and has made this a series. With home-court advantage on their side for now, the Jazz have a big opportunity in Game 3 to make Houston squirm.