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Quin Snyder walked into his news conference after Game 2 of the Western Conference semifinals with a stoic look [url=http://www.pittsburghpenguinsteamshops.com/authentic-derick-brassard-jersey]Derick Brassard Penguins Jersey[/url] , slowly rubbing his forehead, barely if ever cracking anything that would resemble a smile.

And he was on the winning side.

This much is clear about the Utah Jazz: They are not surprising themselves by being in this position. A team that was written off by Vegas oddsmakers and alleged experts coming into the season after losing Gordon Hayward in free agency won 48 games, ousted reigning MVP Russell Westbrook and Oklahoma City in the first round, and now have the Houston Rockets in a bit of trouble.

The Jazz stole home-court from Houston with a win on Wednesday night, and now look to take a 2-1 lead when the series shifts to Salt Lake City for Game 3 on Friday night.

”When guys have confidence in each other, it allows them, I think, the confidence individually to step up,” Snyder said.

Confidence is not an issue for the Jazz.

Even on a night where Donovan Mitchell shot 6 for 21 and fellow rookie backcourt starter Royce O’Neale shot 2 for 5, the Jazz won thanks largely to a great start and a great bench. Utah’s reserves outscored Houston’s 41-22 in Game 2 and that, combined with a 27-point night from Joe Ingles, was enough for the Jazz.

There’s a pair of Game 3s on the schedule Friday, both out West, and the other being Golden State going to New Orleans. The Warriors lead that matchup 2-0, the 11th time in Golden State’s last 14 series that they’ve opened with a pair of victories.

”No pressure for us [url=http://www.buffalobillsteamonline.com/lesean-mccoy-jersey]LeSean McCoy Jersey Youth[/url] ,” New Orleans star Anthony Davis said. ”We just go out there and play, have fun, enjoy the moment and embrace it. The rest will take care of itself. We’re going to make shots here at home and it’s going to be a lot tougher for them.”

Even down 2-0, the Pelicans insist that they can play freely.

Same goes for the Jazz.

Hardly anyone outside of Salt Lake City a few months ago probably expected the Jazz to be in the second round of these playoffs, or to have grabbed home-court away from Houston. Snyder never conceded anything, though, and the Jazz holdovers from the Hayward years say the franchise has improved even in what was supposed to be a transition year.

”I feel like we’re a better team,” Jazz center Rudy Gobert said.

A look at Friday’s games:

WARRIORS AT PELICANS

Warriors lead 2-0. Game 3, 8 p.m. EDT, ESPN.

NEED TO KNOW: While Warriors star Stephen Curry is back from a five-week injury layoff and is expected to start Game 3, New Orleans looked far more competitive after Curry’s return in Game 2. New Orleans had won nine straight – their last five regular season games and a first-round sweep of third-seeded Portland – before a Game 1, 22-point drubbing. New Orleans regrouped for Game 2 and lost by just five points. ”Of course, we wanted to get one up there, but I think the thing that we took out of it was: Game 1, we got punched in the mouth and Game 2 we came back and responded [url=http://www.lionscheapstore.com/kerryon-johnson-jersey-cheap]Kerryon Johnson Lions Jersey[/url] ,” Pelicans All-Star forward Anthony Davis said. ”We didn’t win, but we showed a lot of great signs – and Game 3 we’ll be back at home.”

KEEP AN EYE ON: Warriors forward Draymond Green and Pelicans guard Rajon Rondo. Both veteran players have demonstrated a proclivity toward engaging in mind games and were nose-to-nose at one point in Game 2. Rondo also grabbed the ball and wiped his sweat on it before one Green’s free throws (which Green made anyway).

INJURY UPDATE: Warriors wing player Patrick McCaw hasn’t played since the end of March because of a lumbar spine bruise. It remains unclear when he’ll be ready. Curry has been back for only one game from his sprained left knee. After scoring 28 points in 27 minutes off the bench on Tuesday night, he appears healthy and ready for an expanded role.

PRESSURE IS ON: The Pelicans – even if Davis denies his team is worried about the prospect of a virtually insurmountable 3-0 series deficit to the defending champs.

ROCKETS AT JAZZ

Series tied 1-1. Game 3, 10:30 p.m. EDT, ESPN.

NEED TO KNOW: Adversity, meet the Rockets. A team that had winning streaks of 11, 14 and 17 games in the regular season has now ceded home-court advantage to the Jazz. It’s not panic time for the NBA’s No. 1 overall seed yet – it’s only 1-1 – but Houston must expect Mitchell to shoot better at home in Game 3 than he did on the Rockets’ home floor in Game 2.

KEEP AN EYE ON: Jazz F Joe Ingles. He has been superb in these playoffs, with three 20-point games already (as compared to having only two in the final two months of the regular season). The Aussie is playing with enormous confidence right now.

INJURY UPDATE: Jazz PG Ricky Rubio (hamstring) remains out.

PRESSURE IS ON: Utah. The Jazz know all they’ve done is win one game. Giving the series lead back to Houston in Game 3 would make the challenge of knocking off the Rockets incredibly daunting.

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AP Sports Writer Brett Martel in New Orleans contributed.

Over the course of Donovan Mitchell’s outstanding rookie season with Utah, Portland star Damian Lillard has become something of a mentor, regularly sending texts of encouragement.

So Lillard really didn’t mind when Mitchell was the one who broke his rookie 3-point record.

”He’s had a great season, not just for a rookie but for a guard in the NBA. I’m really happy for him,” Lillard said. ”We’ve had some communication throughout the season. I like to see a guy that’s humble, a guy that works hard. Not many people were talking about him coming out of the draft. He wasn’t the talk of the draft.

”But he just came out and he just showed. That’s what makes me a fan of him.”

Mitchell surpassed Lillard’s mark of 185 3-pointers on Tuesday night in Utah’s 119-79 victory over the Golden State Warriors.

The next night, the two players were face-to-face in the final regular-season game. Portland claimed a 102-93 win on its home court, sending the Trail Blazers into a first-round playoff series against the New Orleans Pelicans [url=http://www.greenbaypackersteamonline.com/clay-matthews-jersey]Clay Matthews Jersey[/url] , and the Jazz to a postseason matchup with the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Mitchell, 21, described the end of the season as fun, with both the record and Utah’s push for the playoffs. The Jazz strung together an 11-game winning streak starting in late January to begin a run in which they lost just twice in a 23-game span.

”The kid inside me has really enjoyed it,” Mitchell said. ”I got the Defensive Player of the Year and Coach of the Year on my team and we’re the No. 5 seed and nobody thought we’d even be in the playoffs. So I’m excited to get this thing going.”

Utah coach Quin Snyder said he was always confident in Mitchell’s ability, even back in early November when the rookie went 3 for 21 from the floor in a 104-97 loss to Philadelphia.

”As much as anything, it wasn’t Donovan’s play. I mean it was – coupled with his mental makeup. You could tell this was a guy who was fearless, who was not afraid of the moment. And I think the Philly game, what he did the next game, how he moved the ball, his decisions were better.”

Snyder said the Jazz staff focused on Mitchell’s progress and knew the results would come for the 6-foot-3 shooting guard out of Louisville.

”He wasn’t worried about starting. He just wanted to play, and he wanted to play well,” the coach said.

Overall, Mitchell led Utah during the regular season with an average of 20.5 points a game, and he led all NBA rookies with an average of 23 points in March (ninth overall). He’s the first rookie to lead his team in scoring and into the playoffs since Carmelo Anthony with Denver.

On Thursday [url=http://www.buffalobillsteamonline.com/lesean-mccoy-jersey]LeSean McCoy Jersey[/url] , Mitchell was named the NBA’s Rookie of the Month for March and the first part of April. It was the fourth time he’d earned the award this season.

He has 187 3-pointers heading into the postseason, which starts for the Jazz on Sunday in Oklahoma City.

Mitchell and Ben Simmons are the top candidates for the NBA’s Rookie of the Year award (which Lillard won in 2013). The two have gotten into something of a war of words lately, with Simmons telling ESPN that he’d vote for himself: ”If you look at the numbers, you’ll see. People who know the game know.”

Mitchell responded by trolling Simmons with a pair of sweatshirts. The first one – worn before Tuesday’s game against the Warriors – was emblazoned with the definition of the word rookie. The second, which he wore into the Moda Center on Wednesday, exclaimed simply, ”Rookie?”

Simmons was the first overall pick by Philadelphia in the 2016 draft but broke his foot and missed his entire first season. So technically he counts as a rookie this season.

Back in February, Lillard made his endorsement of Mitchell clear: ”I think he should be Rookie of the Year, for sure. Not just because of his numbers, but his impact on their team. He’s basically leading them. It’s special to see a rookie be able to do what he’s doing out there.”

Utah teammate Rudy Gobert said Mitchell has already proven his worth to the Jazz.

”Whether he wins it or not, I don’t think it really matters. In five years we won’t care if he won it or not. He showed that he’s poised to be a superstar in this league and he will be,” Gobert said.

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