Jazz catch an L(OL) from the Rockets in Game 3 beatdown: 3 takeaways

The Rockets were determined to bounce back from their surprising Game 2 loss. They ran out on the Jazz in the first half and never looked back.

This game was pretty much over at halftime. Houston came out hot, built a 17-point lead in the first quarter and then absorbed everything else Utah could throw at them to stretch it to 30 after two quarters. Utah played better in the second half, working to find some rhythm, regain some semblance of momentum, but the result was never really in doubt.

Houston scored 70 in the first half (the second time in this series they’ve scored 60+ in a half) which meant there were really only a handful of minutes worth of competitive, meaningful basketball in this game from which to draw insights. The basics are, Utah has not solved the Rockets and this series is far from over.

Takeaways

Clint Capela makes everything hum. Capela’s final statline — 11 points, eight rebounds on 5-of-8 shooting — is fairly unremarkable but he was enormous in the first quarter, helping launch the Rockets out to an ultimately insurmountable lead. Capela makes everything work for Houston — his rim protection abilities are the backbone of the Rockets defense and facilitate all the suffocating perimeter switching. His ability to bend the defense with rim-running and lob-catching are the third leg of the stool for Houston’s offense, along with Harden and Paul’s penetration abilities and the accuracy of all their outside shooters. He wasn’t overwhelming, he hardly ever is, but this game was a perfect reminder of how much Capela means to the Rockets.

The Rockets didn’t play their best game. This should be a scary thought considering the final margin, but Houston still left a lot of points on the table. They finished just 11-of-36 on 3-pointers and Harden and Paul were a combined TK from the field. Eric Gordon broke out and the Rockets seemed more comfortable with Utah’s scheme of dropping their big men deep on the pick-and-roll and encouraging ball-handlers to pull up for mid-range jumpers. Still, Houston can be better…

Next: Donovan Mitchell, LeBron James, Nikola Mirotic's clean shave, and other unstoppable forces

Donovan Mitchell is still a rookie. With the way he’s played in the playoffs, and really all season long, it’s easy to forget that this is Mitchell’s first professional season. Mitchell looked every bit a rookie in Game 3, devoid of all the manipulative decisiveness he displayed in Game 2. His early drives ended in awkward off-balance shot attempts and the lack of rhythm hung around for most of the game. Mitchell finished with 10 points and three assists and 4-of-16 shooting. Rookies, even the very best, will occasionally play like rookies. Just ask Ben Simmons. Mitchell will be fine, in the rest of this series and the rest of what should be a special career.