(Scott Sommerdorf | The Salt Lake Tribune) Utah Jazz head coach Quin Snyder yells at the officials after a non call during first half play. The Rockets led the Jazz 58-48 at the half, Sunday, May 6, 2018.
For the Utah Jazz to have a chance against the Houston Rockets in the Western Conference semifinals, they needed to make perimeter shots at a high clip.
And there lies a significant factor in Utah’s 3-1 hole to a Rockets team that’s motoring toward a showdown with the Golden State Warriors. As the Jazz try to stave off elimination Tuesday night at the Toyota Center, they will have to do so with 3-point shooting that’s been insufficient.
“We just haven’t been able to make shots,” Utah forward Jae Crowder said Sunday after a 100-87 Game 4 loss at Vivint Smart Home Arena. “Tonight was tough. A lot of our offense that we’ve generated just hasn’t gone our way.”
On Sunday night, the Jazz shot 7 of 29 from 3-point range, missing open looks, contested looks, desperation looks. They went 3 of 13 in the first half, when a few makes could’ve cut into a 10-point deficit. They went 4 of 16 in the second half, when better shooting could’ve put them in position to win the game.
There are reasons for the misfiring. Being without starting point guard Ricky Rubio is a big one. Without Rubio to run the offense, draw attention from Houston’s defense and find open men, the quality of shots has suffered. The Rockets have shown why they were among the top six defensive teams in the league this season.
Without quality looks, the Jazz haven’t been able to make many pressure shots. They haven’t gotten out in transition as much as they would’ve wanted. They simply haven’t been able to manufacture many easy opportunities.
The proof lies in the box score. Donovan Mitchell went 2 of 7 from 3-point range, as did Joe Ingles. Crowder made one of his seven 3-point attempts. Reserve point guard Raul Neto was the only Jazz player to take more than one 3 and make over 50 percent, going 2 of 3 from beyond the arc.
Utah’s win in Game 2 saw it go 15 of 32 from 3-point land — and in that game, the Jazz consistently worked to find open looks. It’s been different since, and the Jazz have one more opportunity to right a 3-point ship that’s gone awry in the past two games.
“Offensively, we’ve just got to find our way and we haven’t been able to do that,” Neto said. “They’re a tough team to play offense against. They switch everything, and we’ve just got to find our way.”
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