Utah Jazz: 3 takeaways from Game 5 loss vs. Rockets

2. Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert struggle

Throughout the many ups and downs that Utah experienced in these five games, the inconsistent play of Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert was a recurring theme.

Mitchell and Gobert, who have been two key pieces to what the Jazz have been able to do during the course of the regular season, had trouble putting together consecutive games of consistent play for the entirety of the five-game series. That much was clear once again in Game 5.

After his impressive performance in Utah’s lone series win in Game 4 on Monday, Mitchell finished Wednesday’s Game 5 with a final stat line of just 12 points, six rebounds and one assist in just over 39 minutes. He also finished with a plus/minus of -13.

Gobert, who struggled throughout the course of this series for the Jazz, finished Game 5 with just nine points, 10 points and two blocks in a little over 30 minutes. He recorded a team-worst plus/minus -15 as well.

The combination of Mitchell and Gobert mirrored the team’s overall struggle in shooting the ball from the field, with the duo going 7-of-30 from the field, including 0-of-9 from 3 and 7-of-9 from the free throw line.

There were more factors to Utah falling in Wednesday’s Game 5 and in this series overall, but the fact that Mitchell and Gobert struggled throughout the series definitely didn’t help the Jazz.