No one denies that Chris Paul trading haymakers with the Lakers’ Rajon Rondo and drawing a two-game suspension that kept him out of Wednesday’s game was fortuitous for the Jazz.
“Well obviously, without Chris playing — he’s a leader and one of the best players in the league, so that impacts,” Utah’s Quin Snyder said.
Turns out, though, his absence had more of an impact than either coach anticipated.
Houston’s Mike D’Antoni said before the game that between league MVP James Harden and Eric Gordon, he figured his team still had more than enough on the offensive end.