Rockets advance to Western Conference Finals
The Rockets defeated the Utah Jazz 112-102 on Tuesday and advanced to the final stage of the NBA Western Conference by winning their semifinal series 4-1. The Houston team will now face the winner of the Golden State-New Orleans series, which the Warriors lead 3-1.
Chris Paul shines as Houston eliminates Utah
With an outstanding performance by Chris Paul, who scored 41 points and had 10 assists, Houston struggled until the last few minutes due to the spectacular performance of rookie shooting guard Donovan Mitchell, who had to leave the game injured in the middle of the fourth quarter. That absence penalized the visitors excessively, as they had come back in the third quarter but, without Mitchell, Spanish player Ricky Rubio, and Australian player Dante Exum, they said goodbye to the season in the second round of the NBA playoffs. Utah Jazz leaves with the feeling of having exceeded all expectations after losing their best player, Gordon Hayward, last summer. Meanwhile, the Rockets seem to be the best prepared to challenge the reigning champions, the Golden State Warriors, in the Western Conference. The MVP favorite, James Harden, found the help of Paul to overcome the Jazz. Harden missed the collaboration of another star last season when the Rockets lost in the conference semifinals against the San Antonio Spurs, but this year the former Clippers player has been the luxury sidekick of the Texans. With a 15-1 run by Utah in the third quarter and Mitchell's 22 points in those 12 minutes, the visitors showed that they were ready to compete until the last second. However, Paul's brilliant performance and P.J. Tucker's 19 points tilted the balance in favor of the home team.
SOURCE (AFP)
Pre-game
After losing 100-87 to the Houston Rockets, the Utah Jazz are on the verge of elimination in the NBA Playoffs. Therefore, they must win today (7:00 pm) in Game 5 to extend the series. The game will be at the Toyota Center in Texas. With the series 3-1 against them, the Utah Jazz continue to miss their point guard Ricky Rubio. The Spanish player left the NBA courts due to leg discomfort on April 28 during the sixth game against the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Although it was speculated that he would return in the fourth game against the Rockets, the NBA team doctors did not give Ricky Rubio the green light. Without their star player, the Utah Jazz were largely outplayed by the Houston team.
However, the latest reports indicate that Ricky Rubio could play in the fifth game in Texas, where the Utah Jazz are fighting for the NBA series. The Rockets currently lead the series 3-1 and with one more victory, they will advance to the Western Conference finals. "With Ricky Rubio, we are a different team, with more possibilities to create plays for teammates and offensive options increase," said Quin Snyder, coach of the Utah Jazz.