Rockets hold off Mitchell, Jazz to win series

Chris Paul scored a postseason career-high 41 points and PJ Tucker chipped in 19 as the Houston Rockets defeated the Utah Jazz 112-102 on Tuesday at Toyota Center to claim this Western Conference semifinal series in five games.

Paul, who scored 20 points in the fourth quarter, totaled seven rebounds with 10 assists (with no turnovers) in the clinching victory. He connected on 8 of 10 3-pointers and teamed with Tucker to put down the Jazz for good, scoring 13 consecutive points before feeding Tucker for a corner 3 that pushed Houston's lead to 110-100 with 35 seconds left.

Tucker finished 5 of 7 from behind the arc and helped the Rockets overcome pedestrian efforts from MVP candidate James Harden, who totaled 18 points on 7-of-22 shooting, and Eric Gordon, who missed 6 of 8 shots and had five points. Excluding Paul and Tucker, Houston shot 5 of 22 on 3-pointers.

The Rockets advance to the Western Conference Finals for the first time in four seasons. Paul will do so for the first time in his stellar 13-year career after 86 postseason games played.

Rookie Donovan Mitchell led Utah with 24 points but departed with an injury at the 7:09 mark of the fourth quarter and did not return. Alec Burks added 22 off the bench while Royce O'Neale scored 17. Rudy Gobert turned in his best game of the series with 12 points, nine boards, and five blocks.

Mitchell took over the third quarter and willed the Jazz back into contention. After Houston forged an 11-point lead on two Clint Capela free throws at the 7:16 mark, Mitchell ignited a 12-0 run with a step-back jumper, a layup through a foul, and an assist on a corner 3 by Burks. Utah surged ahead 64-63 on the Burks basket, the last points by anyone other than Mitchell.

Mitchell scored the final 14 points of the third for the Jazz, abusing each and every defender the Rockets sent in his direction. He accomplished most of his handiwork off the dribble, utilizing his quickness to get to the rim. But with 1:16 left in the period, Mitchell drilled a pull-up 3 for a 78-72 lead. He had 22 points on 8-for-11 shooting and Utah took a 78-75 lead into the fourth.

Paul was instrumental in building a halftime advantage for the Rockets, snapping a 43-all tie with two free throws before drilling consecutive 3s inside the final minute of the first half. His assist on a Tucker 3-pointer with 1.1 seconds left offered a bit of foreshadowing down the stretch.

--Field Level Media