Jazz Hold Harden Without A Made Field Goal In First Half
Apr 20, 2019, 9:57 PM
James Harden #13 of the Houston Rockets looks to pass around Rudy Gobert #27 of the Utah Jazz in the first half of Game Three during the first round of the 2019 NBA Western Conference Playoffs at Vivint Smart Home Arena on April 20, 2019 in Salt Lake City, Utah. (Photo by Gene Sweeney Jr./Getty Images)
(Photo by Gene Sweeney Jr./Getty Images)
SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – He’s been the most unstoppable player on the floor during the opening round playoff series, but in the first half of Game 3, Houston Rockets star James Harden was completely shut down.
Harden, who led the NBA in scoring during the regular season, was held to just six points in the first two quarters. He went 0-for-10 from the field, with five missed 3-pointers.
The reigning league MVP also had three fouls, including two in the first 90 seconds.
The Jazz defense did a solid job of stopping Harden by coming up big at certain moments. Jazz center Rudy Gobert blocked a floater in the lane by Harden in the first quarter. Near the end of the second quarter, Royce O’Neale stuffed Harden while he was shooting a 3-pointer.
Rudy out here blocking floaters 👀
DPOY has 4️⃣ rejections pic.twitter.com/yiXqwDE2yi
— Utah Jazz (@utahjazz) April 21, 2019
While Harden was struggling, Utah’s star guard Donovan Mitchell was electric. The second year guard scored 21 points the first half on 6-for-13 shooting with three 3-pointers made. Whether it was shooting from outside or dunking in the lane, Mitchell was the aggressor in the first half while Harden made nearly no impact on the game.
At halftime, the Jazz led 55-50, their first halftime lead of the series.
