Rockets blow big lead and lose to Jazz, 89-87

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Rockets blow big lead and lose to Utah, 89-87

Posted: March 23, 2016 -- 10:48 pm CDT.

HOUSTON, TX (Toyota Center) -- The Houston Rockets blew an 18-point lead Wednesday night in an 89-87 loss to the Utah Jazz. With tonight's loss, the Rockets (35-37) fall to the 9th spot in the Western Conference; and, the Jazz leap frog the Rockets into the 8th spot.

Miscommunication by James Harden and Trevor Ariza on Utah's final possession led to a wide-open slam game-winning dunk by Derrick Favors with 1.6 seconds remaining.

Utah's Rodney Hood milked the clock; and, James Harden defended Hood closely the entire time. Hood's teammate, Gordon Hayward, moved from the weak side to the top of the key. Trevor Ariza stayed close to Hayward; however, as Hood dribbled toward the top of the key, Hayward set a pick on Harden which gave Hood enough space to curl around the pick and dribble into the paint. Dwight Howard rotated to Hood, leaving Favors open near the basket; Hood dished to Favors for the dunk.

Here's the game-winning play:

RODNEY TO FAVORS https://t.co/S0lCuUlxjf
— Michael Gallagher (@MikeSGallagher) March 24, 2016

With 1.6 seconds on the clock, the Rockets called two, 20-second time-outs to design a play. Harden got a good luck at three-point shot to beat the buzzer; but, the shot bounced off the rim.

The Rockets led the Jazz 49-34 at halftime; but, the Jazz started the third quarter with an 11-1 run to trim the lead to five (50-45) with 8:16 remaining in the quarter.

"In the third quarter, the shots we were taking, they weren't good enough," said JB Bickerstaff, Rockets' interim-head coach. "We didn't continue to do the things that we did in the first half that led to our success. We were pressing. We were forcing the issue at times that we didn't to. We had a formula that was working; and, we need to stick with it."

The Rockets shot 13 for 35 from the floor in the second half which negated their 51.3% (20 for 39) field goal shooting in the first half.

The Rockets' offense bogged down in the final minutes of the fourth quarter.

"It was slow. We just were slow in the second half," Bickerstaff added. "We didn't get to our spots quick enough. They (the Utah Jazz) make you play that way because of the way they play.

"They go deep into the shot clock; they grind you out; they're making tough shots at times. They're taking the ball out of the net. They've got size and length. They're physical with you; so, it's not easy to get to your spots."

In the loss, James Harden had 26 points, 10 assists, 7 rebounds, and a career-high 8 steals.

"We weren't getting into any sets," Harden said. "It's pretty simple: we just didn't execute or get into our spots. It showed.

"We just need to execute whether it's a play call; whatever it is. We all need to be on the same page; and, know that what we're calling and go out there and execute."

Michael Beasley, Corey Brewer, and Clint Capela each scored 10 points off the bench; however, none of them scored in the final quarter.

Dwight Howard blocked a season-high six shots in the game; however, Howard only got six field goal attempts on offense.

"I'd like to see him (Dwight) more involved," Bickerstaff commented. "I think if he's doing all the other things -- defensively, he was a monster -- he's got to get rewarded for doing those things. I think there's times where you get him the ball in his spots. He's been in his spots. I think we can work on that a little bit more."