Rockets, James Harden crush weary Jazz in Game 1

ByReuters

Published 30/04/2018 at 08:47 GMT

James Harden scored a game-high 41 points, and the Houston Rockets turned a blistering first half into a 110-96 victory over the Utah Jazz on Sunday at Toyota Center in Game 1 of their Western Conference semifinal series.

James Harden #13 celebrates with teammate Clint Capela #15 of the Houston Rockets during a time out in the second half during Game One of the Western Conference Semifinals of the 2018 NBA Playoffs against the Utah Jazz at Toyota Center on April 29, 2018 i

Image credit: Getty Images

Harden converted 7 of 12 3-point attempts and added eight rebounds and seven assists to his line.

After Utah sliced what was once a 27-point deficit to 11 early in the fourth quarter, Harden restored order with three free throws, a 3-pointer and a second-chance basket of his own miss.

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"He's a special player," said Jazz coach Quin Snyder. "It's hard to give credit to all the things that he does. He just impacts the game in so many mays. You have to try to make it harder for him."

Clint Capela recorded a double-double with 16 points and 12 rebounds while PJ Tucker chipped in 15 points on 6-for-8 shooting, including 3-of-5 from behind the arc. Chris Paul tallied 17 points, six assists and four steals for the

Rockets, who will host Game 2 on Wednesday night. Donovan Mitchell and Jae Crowder scored 21 points apiece for the Jazz, coming off a grueling, seven-game series against Oklahoma City that concluded late

Houston Rockets guard James Harden (13) shoots the ball against Utah Jazz forward Royce O'Neale (23) during the third quarter in game one of the second round of the 2018 NBA Playoffs at Toyota Center

Image credit: Reuters

Friday. Joe Ingles added 15 points, six rebounds and five assists while Rudy Gobert totaled 11 points and nine boards but failed to impact the game defensively.

The first half offered a glimpse of the Rockets at their very best – Harden and Paul in particular.

Paul masterfully orchestrated the offense in the opening quarter, finding teammates for a pair of assists while also uncovering crevices for his own shot. Paul scored nine points in the first.

Harden was even more potent, converting a 3-pointer and driving layup in succession to push the lead to 26-15.

By the close of the frame, Harden and Paul had combined for as many points (21) as Utah managed, with the Rockets carrying a 13-point lead into the second. They didn't let up.

When Capela followed a Harden 3-pointer with a finger roll after a hard cut to the basket, Houston led 49-29 at the 6:42 mark of the second quarter.

Down the stretch of the half, Capela added a dunk before Harden and Tucker combined for three 3-pointers, the second corner trey from Tucker pushing the advantage to 64-37 with just over a minute remaining in the first half.

Houston shot 53.5 percent (23 of 43) before the break, including a scorching 10-of-16 on threes. The Jazz mustered better energy in the second half, but the 27-point deficit proved too damaging.

"We're different," Harden said afterward. "We've seen so many different defenses throughout this year that have prepared us for this moment."

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