James Harden felt the Houston Rockets' failure to effectively deal with Derrick Favors was key in their Game 4 defeat to the Utah Jazz.

The Jazz came back into the first-round playoff series at 3-1 after winning 107-91 on Monday, with Donovan Mitchell contributing 31 points.

But while Mitchell stole the headlines, Harden identified the towering presence of Favors as the Rockets' real issue. He made 11 rebounds in 24 minutes.

"We went small in our line-up and Favors was getting his hands on the rebounds and tip outs and things like that," said Harden.

"Whenever we do go small in that line-up, we need to make sure we put a body on him and get the rebound. That was the game. I think they got three offensive rebounds in a row.

"We played pretty good defense, but it's just draining when you play good defense and give up offensive rebounds. We'll be better individually and as a group and be ready."

MVP candidate Harden also felt Utah were motivated by a sense of "embarrassment" as they faced being swept on their home court.

"It's tough, no matter who you're playing," he said. "This is one of the toughest places to play in the league.

"On the other side, it's an embarrassment, you don't want to get swept, you want to show that you have pride. So those guys came out and give them credit: they played well. They fought hard and they came away with the win.

"We got Game 3 and we get an opportunity to go home and do what we're supposed to do."