SALT LAKE CITY – Utah returned with a Jazz win, though they didn’t feel like they were celebrating.
Donovan Mitchell said, “We didn’t do a good job tonight and I think it’s a good thing we won but we should be better.”
Mitchell had 28 points, eight assists and seven rebounds and opened the second half of the season after the Jazz defeated the Houston Rockets 114-99 on Friday night.
Coach Queen Snyder said, “at a very poor level.” “We gave up paint, left everything, left 3s. We were lucky not to hit more shots, as we were porous defensively. … They had everything they wanted on the offensive glass. We did it 20 times. There was not much that we did tonight.
The only bright spot Snyder was allowed: “We executed the final three minutes.”
Playing for the first time since March 3, NBA leaders handed the Rockets their 15th straight loss. Mike Conley added 20 points and Rudy Gobert had 14 points, 13 rebounds and six blocks as the Jazz got back on track after dropping their final two games in the first half.
Bojan Bogdanovic and Jordan Clarkson scored 15 but the Jazz needed a late run to shut down the Rockets.
Kevin Porter Jr. scored a season-high 27 points for Houston. He was 1 of 9 in 3-point range and 11 of 25 overall. Sterling Brown and Kenyan Martin Jr. had 15 points.
“They were playing free without John (Wal), without Christian (Wood) without Vic (Oladipo) – they were playing free, and they were coming to attack us. To attack us Everyone is coming and we are ready, ”said Michelle.
The rocket’s slowdown is the longest since it lost 15 straight in 2001. Houston’s last win was against Memphis on February 4.
After losing three of four matches before the All-Star break, the Jazz were looking to regain the form that won them 22 of 24 games and put them at the top of the NBA standings.
The Rockets with small hands had just nine healthy players – most of them at the end of the bench or out of the league this year – but the Jazz still looked disgruntled and rusty.
After trailing 23 in the third quarter, the Rockets held a 94-90 lead on the fourth day of JaeSean Tate’s 3-pointer and David Yamaba’s layoff.
“We were making big stops, rebounding, even though we were underseas. I thought we did a good job and just stayed positive.
During the 16–2 run, the Ragtag Rockets forced three Jazz misses in a row and then made a trio of turnovers to make their comeback.
“We have a group of people who work hard and leave it on the floor. We knew they were the No. 1 team in the West. We have young talent and we just tried to go out and show what we can do without everyone else, ”Martin said.
After watching the Rockets’ unlikely rally from the bench, Mitchell returned to the court with a flourish, assisted on 3-pointers by Clarkson and Royce O’Neill to take the lead back into double digits but then a chest injury on his front. Started. The drive fell to the court and slowly made its way onto the bench during the ensuing time. He continued to play but scored only one point in the rest.
The Jazz ended the game on a 12–3 jump, highlighted by Conley’s timely play and Gobert’s defense. Meanwhile, the weary Rockets missed 10 of the final 11 field goal attempts.
Justin Patton had a career-high 13 points for Houston.
Already under nine players, Macklemore, Tate and Brown all had at least two fouls with 3:46 left in the first quarter as the Jazz repeatedly drove to the basket. The Rockets stopped halting but effectively defended.
By halftime Mitchell had 18 points and the Jazz had a 19–21 free throw to take a 65–48 lead.
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