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Houston Rockets: Expect a more juiced up Utah Jazz team for Game 2

By Brian K. Patterson

HOUSTON, TX - APRIL 29: PJ Tucker #4 of the Houston Rockets goes up for a lay up defended by Jae Crowder #99 of the Utah Jazz in the second half during Game One of the Western Conference Semifinals of the 2018 NBA Playoffs at Toyota Center on April 29, 2018 in Houston, Texas. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Tim Warner/Getty Images)
HOUSTON, TX - APRIL 29: PJ Tucker #4 of the Houston Rockets goes up for a lay up defended by Jae Crowder #99 of the Utah Jazz in the second half during Game One of the Western Conference Semifinals of the 2018 NBA Playoffs at Toyota Center on April 29, 2018 in Houston, Texas. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Tim Warner/Getty Images) /
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The Houston Rockets are working their way through the NBA Playoffs and are now in the second round, taking on a familiar foe, the Utah Jazz.  Although it was expected for the Jazz to challenge, they offered little of it Game 1.  Let’s look.

The Houston Rockets cruised their way to a 110-96 win over the Utah Jazz this past Sunday.  I have to admit that I didn’t expect such a lopsided win because of how hard our newly-minted second round opponent plays.

But they simply could not keep up with the frenetic pace of the Houston Rockets.  But it’s been the same story all season.  A team can defend the Houston Rockets as hard as they want but if they can’t counteract with their own offense quickly on the other end, then it’s pretty much a wrap for the game.

The Jazz did hang in there for a bit but this team’s firepower was way to great for them to overcome.  The game was pretty much a wrap at the half.  The aforementioned is one of the factors but other is certainly fatigue.

Think about it — the Jazz just got through grinding out a tough win over the Oklahoma City Thunder in their Game 7 match up that Friday night and had to take a plane ride to H-Town to start the series at our house.  It’s huge factor because the Rockets had four days of rest after gracefully putting the Minnesota Timberwolves to sleep in Game 5 of the first round this past Wednesday.

So one week later, the Houston Rockets are set to do battle with the Jazz and I certainly expect more from this Jazz team.  Rudy Gobert is an excellent defender but you won’t see donut holes in the stat sheet by his name in the early goings.  It took him until close to half time for him to score his first bucket of the game!  He only had a couple of rebounds at that!

Clint Capela — once again — did a terrific job in defending and playing both ends of the floor

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elegantly.  Remember those days when he’d be apt to pick up quick, unnecessary fouls?  They’re over.

He ended finishing with 16 points, 12 rebounds, one block, one steal and two fouls.  The crazy thing is this guy hasn’t hit his peak yet.  The Rockets are going to have no choice but to match his any offers he gets this summer as a restricted free agent, I don’t want to see Capela leave whatsoever.

But back to the game, James Harden put up 41/7/8, while Chris Paul put up 17/6/4 and even the gritty P.J. Tucker chipped in 15/6.  We keep playing like this and it might be a quick series against the Jazz, priming us up for the destined Western Conference finals match up with the Golden State Warriors.

But the Jazz will be looking a lot better tonight and expect the Rockets to be challenged profusely.  Especially Donovan Mitchell, who is likely the runaway candidate for Rookie of the Year, and is just a pleasure to watch.

Whenever Ricky Rubio is healthy and ready to play, that’s going to pose an obstacle because of the opportunities he creates for his teammates.  Rubio’s career has been revitalized in Quin Snyder’s system and this was certainly the player I expected to see when he was drafted but I’m scratching my head as why we’re barely seeing this now.

Next: Breaking down the Rockets elite defensive tactics

Nonetheless, it’ll be a great battle tonight and I’m certainly looking forward to it.

The Rockets will take on the Jazz tonight at Toyota Center.  Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m. and the game will be televised on TNT and broadcast on 740 AM (KTRH) and La Ranchera 850 AM in Spanish.

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