Houston Rockets: 3 takeaways from Game 4 loss vs. Jazz

Despite pulling out their first three games in their opening round bout against the Utah Jazz, the Houston Rockets dropped their first contest of the 2019 NBA Playoffs on Monday night. Here are the three takeaways from Game 4.

In a showdown where the Houston Rockets were seeking to complete a four-game sweep in their best-of-seven series against the Utah Jazz, Donovan Mitchell would respond by coming through for his team during the most critical stretch.

Mitchell, who logged only 12 points through the first three quarters of play, poured in 19 of his game-high 31 points in the fourth quarter to help Utah stave off elimination and earn a 107-91 win against Houston in Game 4 of the Western Conference quarterfinals.

"“I just thought they were the more aggressive team,” Rockets head coach Mike D’Antoni told reporters following the loss. “We didn’t play very smart. We just did things that were uncharacteristic of a team that wants to win.”"

Houston, which trailed by double digits early in the contest, fought mightily to rally all the way back and take a three-point advantage into the final frame with the help of James Harden and Eric Gordon. They failed to hold on down the stretch though, as Mitchell’s late scoring surge would help ignite a 15-1 Jazz run they would never look back from.

Harden — who managed to shoot just 3-for-20 in his previous outing — led the way for the Rockets once again with 30 points, while Chris Paul finished the night with 23 points, eight rebounds and seven assists in a valiant effort.

Here are the three takeaways from Clutch City’s most recent postseason outing.