Utah Jazz: 3 takeaways from Game 5 vs. Rockets

A spirited second half comeback fell short, as the Utah Jazz’s season came to an end at the hands of the Houston Rockets in Game 5.

The Utah Jazz tried all they could to send their second round series to a Game 6, but the Houston Rockets weren’t going to let up, as they advanced to the Western Conference Finals with a 112-102 victory in Game 5.

Building up a lead as big as 12 in the third quarter, it looked like the Rockets were going to make this game noncompetitive towards the end, but then, as if out of thin air, Utah flipped the switch.

After coming out of halftime shooting 1-of-6, the Jazz would proceed to make their next six shots en-route to a 12-0 run that saw them regain the lead.

That comeback was in no small part thanks to Donovan Mitchell, who shot 8-of-11 in the frame for 22 points, outscoring the entire Rockets team (21 points) in the process.

Mitchell’s play was exceeded only by Chris Paul, who clearly wasn’t shy about his desire to advance to his first ever conference finals, finishing with 41 points, 10 assists, seven rebounds and zero turnovers.

Going up against the best team, record-wise, in the NBA, the Jazz were competitive until the end. Maybe if Ricky Rubio had been able to play, the series would’ve lasted a bit longer.

Alas, Utah’s season, given the circumstances, should still be considered a success, but that won’t stop the players and coaches from souring over a game they definitely believed they should’ve won.