Just like they did in their round one series against the Oklahoma City Thunder, the Utah Jazz bounced back from a Game 1 loss to tie their best of seven series up at 1-1.
The Jazz held off a hard-charging Houston Rockets squad 116-108 stealing homecourt advantage away from the league's best team.
It wasn't all Donovan Mitchell for the Jazz as six different Utah players posted double-digit scoring numbers.
Here are three takeaways from the Jazz's win in Game 2:
Composure
The Jazz came into Game 2 expecting to play better. They not only played better, they had arguably their best effort of the season. Utah came out swinging punches with the intention to send a message to the team with the best regular season record. Quin Snyder's bunch built a lead by as many as 19 points, but the Rockets fought back and eventually took the lead in the third quarter.
The Jazz had every opportunity to fold and let the Rockets take over the game, but they remained composed and relied on their defence to get a victory.
Coach Snyder should get a lot of credit for the adjustments he made not only before the game but in the game as well. The Jazz were able to outplay the Rockets by going small with Dante Exum and Derrick Favors - something not many would have seen coming before the series started.
The Aussies
Joe Ingles was unbelievable in Game 2, going for a career-high 27 points shooting 7-for-9 from 3-point range. Dante Exum came off the bench and gave James Harden a tough time with his length and athleticism. Exum also added a bit of a scoring punch, finishing with nine points, four rebounds and one nasty finish in transition.
Donovan Mitchell turned into more of a facilitator in Game 2 with Ricky Rubio still out of the lineup, but if the Jazz don't get the effort they do out of Ingles and Exum especially they wouldn't be going home with homecourt advantage.
Where is Chris Paul?
Chris Paul had 23 points, five rebounds, three assists and was a -3 in 35 minutes on Wednesday night. While those numbers weren't terrible, his impact on the game was almost non-existent.
Last year in the playoffs against the Jazz as a member of the Clippers, Paul was able to put up his usual great number but again his impact on the games were minimized, leading to a first-round exit.
CP3 came to Houston because he didn't want to have to carry the load that he was burdened with while in Los Angeles and New Orleans. He was able to coast behind the incredible MVP-type season that James Harden put together, but he can't remain a passenger in the post-season if the Rockets are to have any sort of success.
