Chris Paul says that mid-range jumpers are like layups for him.
The Houston Rockets have emphasized dunks and 3-pointers in becoming one of the NBA’s most efficient offenses but Paul’s in-between jumpers proved to be the difference when the long-range shots weren’t falling.
”I wasn’t joking about that Michael Gallup Cowboys Jersey ,” Paul said of his layup comment. ”If (Rudy) Gobert’s going to back, that’s what I’m going to shoot.”
Paul had 27 points and 12 rebounds while James Harden scored 24 points to power the Houston Rockets to a 100-87 win over the Utah Jazz on Sunday night, taking a 3-1 lead in the Western Conference semifinal series.
”It showed a lot of grit for us to come in here and win two games,” Paul said.
Paul, playing the sidekick to Harden for most of his first season in Houston, took center stage, controlling the tempo and getting to his favorite spots as the Rockets led from start to finish.
”Chris is shooting those shots like a layup,” Harden said. ”He was extremely aggressive tonight, which we need from him.”
Donovan Mitchell scored 25 before fouling out and Joe Ingles had 15 for the Jazz.
Mitchell started finding lanes to the basket late and got the Jazz within 85-80 after he fueled a 10-2 run, sending the crowd into a frenzy. But Paul, who matched his scoring high for this playoff run Jaire Alexander Packers Jersey , hit a pull-up jumper and found Trevor Ariza for a 3-pointer to put the Rockets back up by double digits and they never looked back.
Houston, which has been known for their offensive firepower, put forth a disruptive defensive effort.
Clint Capela, the anchor of the Houston defense, had 12 points, 15 rebounds and six blocks, one of which featured a Dikembe Mutombo-like finger wag in the fourth quarter.
”We missed 22 shots at the rim,” Utah coach Quin Snyder said. ”We had our chances and didn’t convert. Some of them were contested. Some of them were open. You’re not going to get any better shot.”
The Rockets went up by 15 in the second quarter before the Jazz closed to 51-46 on back-to-back three-point plays by Mitchell. Utah trailed 58-48 at the half.
Neither team was accurate from beyond the arc as the Jazz were 7-for-29 and Houston went 10-for-38.
”There’s all different ways to win. We’re not strictly a jump-shooting team,” D’Antoni said. ”Chris has the mid-range, James gets to the hole and you got Clint down there. We’ve got a lot of other stuff we can go to.”
Already without Ricky Rubio, the Jazz lost back-up point guard Dante Exum in the third quarter Josh Gordon Jersey Youth , also to a hamstring injury. Exum was a surprising offensive spark for the Jazz with 9 points in the first period, but picked up three fouls guarding Harden.
”Houston is that good. Give them credit. They know how to control a game,” Snyder said. ”In spite of that, I thought we just hung in there and took shots and kept coming and kept coming and eventually couldn’t get over the hill.”
TIP-INS
Rockets: Harden’s 14 first-quarter points were the most for him in the opening period this postseason. … Flying to close out on an Ingles’ 3-pointer in the second quarter, P.J. Tucker raked the Jazz sharpshooter across the face and earned a Flagrant 1. … Capela and Mitchell got double technical fouls fighting for rebound in the fourth quarter and Houston coach Mike D’Antoni got another for his reaction to the play.
Jazz: Rubio missed his fourth straight game due to a left hamstring strain suffered in opening round but is close to returning.
SHOT BLOCKERS
Rudy Gobert is a leading candidate for Defensive Player of the Year but Capela has been the most significant deterrent to getting to the basket in this series. He altered 20 shots in this game and has 13 blocks in the series while also making his presence known on the offensive end with double-digit scoring in each contest. ”Every single night, he has our back,” said Harden, who got in Capela’s face and yelled his approval at the end of the game. ”He doesn’t get a lot of credit for it and doesn’t ask for a lot.”
Near the end of the game, Capela told D’Antoni he needed a rest. But the Rockets called a time out and then the big center said he could finish. He went out and got a couple more blocks. ”He pole-vaulted over the hurdle. He cleared it by a lot. The guy’s incredible the whole time,” D’Antoni said.
UP NEXT
The series shifts back to Houston for Game 5.
Filip Forsberg came up big for the Nashville Predators in his return after sitting out a game.
Forsberg had two goals and an assist to lead the Predators to a 4-1 victory against the Tampa Bay Lightning on Sunday night. He was held out of the previous night’s lopsided loss to Buffalo for maintenance purposes.
”It’s a big win and a good test for us going up against one of the best teams in the league,” Forsberg said. ”This is the way it’s going to be in the playoffs Ty Montgomery Jersey Youth , especially on the road, so it was good.”
Craig Smith and Ryan Johansen also scored to help Nashville move closer to securing the first division title in franchise history, with the Predators’ magic number to clinch the Central at two points.
”I think the guys played smart and that’s all on them,” Nashville coach Peter Laviolette said. ”They had a meeting. They weren’t happy with (Saturday’s loss) and they straightened it out. They played a smart, hard game, especially with the turnaround.”
Tampa Bay, which went 0 for 5 on the power play, played the final two periods without captain Steven Stamkos, who left the game with an undisclosed lower-body injury. Coach Jon Cooper did not have an update on Stamkos after the game.
Ondrej Palat scored while Andrei Vasilevskiy stopped 21 shots for the Lightning, who have lost four of five to fall two points behind the Boston Bruins for the top spot in the Atlantic Division and Eastern Conference.
”We don’t like to lose games, that’s bottom line Jamal Adams Jersey ,” Tampa Bay defenseman Victor Hedman said. ”We want to win every game. But we are looking at the big picture and hopefully there is two or three months left in the season, we want to play the right way.”
Nashville opened up the scoring as Johansen led a 2-on-1 rush and pulled the puck back before beating Vasilevskiy with a wrist shot 7:50 into the game.
The Predators doubled their lead early in the second with one second remaining on a power paly as Forsberg’s shot deflected off the stick of Tampa Bay defenseman Anton Stralman and trickled through Vasilevskiy’s pads at 2:46.
Palat pulled the Lightning within a goal at 7:32 as he was open in the slot to take a pass from Stralman and fired a shot from between the circles for his 10th.
Forsberg scored his second of the night, skating around Dan Girardi to get to the top of the crease and sip the puck under Vasilevskiy at 6:24 to make it 3-1.
Smith put the game away, taking a long pass from Mattias Ekholm and skating in alone to put a shot off the inside of the far post at 9:29.
”We just give up too many easy ones, they are too easy,” Cooper said. ”It’s not like they are spending an ounce of time in our zone, they just go down and find open space.”
NOTES: Tampa Bay RW Ryan Callahan returned to the lineup after missing five games with an upper-body injury. … Nashville leading goal-scorer LW Viktor Arvidsson missed the game with an undisclosed lower-body injury. … The Lightning have allowed the opening goal in five consecutive games. … Forsberg is the second player in franchise history to reach 60 points three different times, joining J.P. Dumont. … Saros improved to 8-0-2 this season when starting on the second night of a back-to-back games for the Predators
Hilfe Engel - Forum
Thema drucken
14.08.2018 05:26
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