Utah Jazz: 3 takeaways from Game 4 survival vs. Rockets

SALT LAKE CITY, UT - APRIL 22: Rudy Gobert #27 and Donovan Mitchell #45 of the Utah Jazz talk during Game Four of Round One of the 2019 NBA Playoffs against the Houston Rockets on April 22, 2019 at vivint.SmartHome Arena in Salt Lake City, Utah. 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. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2019 NBAE (Photo by Melissa Majchrzak/NBAE via Getty Images) /

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(Photo by Melissa Majchrzak/NBAE via Getty Images) /

Not wanting their season to end, the Utah Jazz defeated the Houston Rockets in Game 4 to send the first round series back to H-Town down 3-1.

The Utah Jazz came into Game 4 on the verge of suffering a sweep at the hands of the Houston Rockets. This was supposed to be a competitive first-round matchup between the 4- and 5-seeds in the Western Conference. Instead, Houston was turning it into a rout, hell-bent on knocking the Jazz out of the playoffs for the second consecutive season.

Certainly not wanting to go down in front of its home fans, Utah put on a spirited effort at both ends of the floor, claiming victory with a convincing 107-91 win to extend its season if only for one more game.

The Jazz’s elite defense was on full display in holding the Rockets to a sub-40 percent shooting performance. They out-rebounded Houston by quite a large margin and also managed to dish out more assists as well.

Donovan Mitchell scored a game-high 31 points, while Jay Crowder broke out of a slump to provide some much-needed offense. The six-year veteran poured in 23 points of his own along with three makes from beyond the arc.

Houston saw James Harden put up a relatively quiet 30 points, while Chris Paul was a terrific all-around presence, scoring 23 to go along with eight rebounds, five assists and three steals.

The Rockets will have the chance to close out this series on their home floor and that very may well come to fruition on Wednesday night. If the Jazz are to have any shot of sending the series back to Salt Lake, they’ll have to build on this impressive Game 4 showing and take it on the road.