SALT LAKE CITY — Starting strong in the first half is becoming a signature for Houston.

For the second time in their playoff series with Utah Joe Namath Jets Jersey , the Rockets raced to a lopsided win after dismantling the Jazz on both ends of the court before halftime. Houston surged ahead of Utah in a 113-92 victory in Game 3 on Friday by hitting a flurry of shots and then taking the Jazz completely out of their offense.

The Rockets shot 58.7 percent from the field before halftime and did not commit a turnover until late in the second quarter. They led by as many as 30 points in the first half.

James Harden and Eric Gordon led the charge. Each player scored 25 points and Harden dished out 12 assists.

It helped Houston take a 2-1 series lead going into Game 4 on Sunday.

“They were aggressive the entire night,” Jazz guard Donovan Mitchell said. “We didn’t respond in any way, so we have to take this one on the chin and respond in Game 4.”

Forcing turnovers became Houston’s calling card from the opening tip. The Rockets pressured Utah into making bad passes or settling for tough, contested shots. The Jazz committed 11 turnovers in the first half, leading to 17 points for Houston.

Their goal was to keep Utah from settling into its offense the way the Jazz did in Game 2. Houston succeeded in dominating the first half in much the same fashion that the Rockets did in the first game of the series.

“I thought our defense was superb,” Houston coach Mike D’Antoni said. “We were hitting shots all over the place, kept the crowd out of it. We kept them on their heels. You could see the guys feeding off good defense and good defense. When you do that and your energy is right, the shots start to go down.”

Houston raised its level on defense. Utah finished with 16 turnovers and shot less than 40 percent from the field until the fourth quarter. When the Jazz weren’t hitting shots, they couldn’t balance things out by getting stops on the other end.

Most possessions ended up wasted and the gulf between the two teams quickly grew into a canyon.

“They made it harder and we weren’t able to get the ball where we wanted to go on the floor Authentic Devin Hester Jersey ,” Jazz coach Quin Snyder said. “We weren’t able to get the ball vertically in order to get shots for other guys. If we get into a situation where we’re just having to create off the dribble by ourselves, that’s not what we’re best at.”

To improve its fortunes in Game 4, Utah will have to get better performances from Mitchell and Joe Ingles. The duo combined to shoot 6-of-26 from the floor two nights after Ingles posted a career-high 27 points and Mitchell added 17 points while dishing out a career-high 11 assists.

Mitchell, in particular, has been a focal point of Houston’s defense in the series and it has showed. He hasn’t been able to find much of a shooting rhythm while playing at point guard. The rookie is averaging only 16.0 points while shooting 32.2 percent from the field over the first three games of the series.

“We try to defend and try to make him see a crowd and try to make it tough on him, just like they try to do to us when they press up on us,” Rockets guard Chris Paul said. “We just tried to make it tough on him.”

Their contributions are even more vital for the Jazz with Ricky Rubio trying to bounce back from a hamstring injury and Derrick Favors limited by a sprained ankle. Both are listed as questionable for Game 4.

Allen Robinson sees no reason he can’t regain the form that made him a Pro Bowl receiver and help the Chicago Bears snap a string of losing seasons.

He insisted the ACL he tore in his left knee in last year’s opener with Jacksonville is coming along just fine. And he expects to be ”fully cleared” for training camp.

”I understand it’s a question for the media,” Robinson said. ”But I know how I’m going to go about this thing, and I know the kind of player I’m going to be. So for me Tremaine Edmunds Bills Jersey , there’s no questions.”

He’s looking forward to catching passes from Mitchell Trubisky and playing in new coach Matt Nagy’s offense. Above all, he’s embracing the challenge in Chicago, where the Bears have just one playoff appearance since the 2006 team’s Super Bowl run.

Robinson was one of five free agent acquisitions introduced Thursday along with former Philadelphia tight end Trey Burton, Atlanta receiver Taylor Gabriel, Miami kicker Cody Parkey and New Orleans backup quarterback Chase Daniel.

”We just started the offseason acquisition period now,” general manager Ryan Pace said. ”We’re only one day into it. Let’s take it step by step, the excitement. The draft is right around the corner and that’s our primary mode for adding talent to our team.”

The Bears have four straight last-place finishes in the NFC North – and four straight seasons with 10 or more losses. Their passing game ranked last in the NFL in 2017.

But the Bears are banking on the moves they made to help get the most out of Trubisky – last year’s No. 2 overall draft pick – even though Pace’s record in free agency is spotty.

Not only did they add one of the top receivers on the market, they brought in a versatile tight end who threw a memorable touchdown pass to quarterback Nick Foles in the Super Bowl as well as a speedy receiver in Gabriel.

They also addressed the kicking game, a sore spot since they released Robbie Gould prior to the 2016 season Denzel Ward Jersey Youth , and brought in a backup QB familiar with the system to mentor Trubisky. Daniel played for Kansas City from 2013-15 when Nagy was the Chiefs‘ quarterbacks coach.

”I was part of this offense in Philadelphia,” Burton said. ”I saw how successful it was. All you need is a couple weapons and a quarterback who can handle all of it and I think that is exactly what we have here in Chicago.”

In Trubisky, Gabriel sees a ”very confident guy” who can ”sling it.”

”When we signed the other day, the first thing I asked him was `How’s your deep ball,’ so I’m excited to be with him and excited to get in and play with him.”

Robinson was also impressed by Trubisky as well as the ”versatility” of Nagy’s offense.

”You see a lot of big plays, you see some dink-and-dunk plays, you see everybody being involved,” he said. ”It’s something that just looked fun to play in.”

Robinson is looking forward to playing, period.

It wasn’t easy watching the Jaguars advance to the AFC championship game after they posted losing records in his first three years. He came into the season thinking he was poised for big things after a dip in production in 2016.

Instead P.J. Hall Raiders Jersey , he injured his knee on the Jaguars’ third play of the season. He has been running sprints and performing ”pretty explosive jumps” as he works his way back.

Pace said the fact that Robinson is only 24 and the injury occurred early in the season bodes well, though he wouldn’t put a timeline on when he expects to see him on the field. Once he’s ready, the Bears envision big things from him.

”He’s just a big target that knows how to get open,” Pace said. ”He’s a savvy route runner that can set guys up and he’s just a proven receiver you know. He’s a physical guy that can body and out-position guys and it’s a guy that obviously we targeted and are excited to get here.”

Notes: The Bears signed LB Aaron Lynch to a one-year contract. A fifth-round draft pick by San Francisco in 2014, he made 19 starts and had 83 tackles and 15 sacks in four seasons with the 49ers.

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