For one game, the Houston Rockets were just fine without Russell Westbrook. On Tuesday, the Rockets beat the Thunder in all facets of the game en route to a 123-108 victory to take a 1-0 lead in their first round series.
With Westbrook out with a quad-strain (reports indicate it is getting better), Harden was sensational with 37 points and 11 rebounds on 12-of-22 shots, including 6-of-13 from outside the arc, and the Rockets had five players score in double figures. Next to Harden, Jeff Green was great, finishing with 22 points. Eric Gordon had 21, Ben McLemore had 14 and PJ Tucker added 11.
Houston made 20 3-pointers as a team, outscoring OKC by 21 from deep.
Danilo Gallinari led the Thunder with 29 points, while Chris Paul dropped one assist shoe from a triple double with 20 points, 10 rebounds and nine dimes – but much of Paul’s score came when the game was already gone in the second half. . OKC saw death at both ends, and will have to figure out how the ball can be better moved to crack Houston’s defense, which was great all night.
In fact, let’s talk to that Houston defense for a second. This was championship attempt, and the switch really stagnated the OKC offense. The Houston rotations were on point all night. Men fly to shooters, pinching off their wings to apparently cut every floating hole. OKC just couldn’t get any space or penetration to column the defense, and Houston maintained that energy for full possession, multiple efforts, communication, the whole deal.
Houston is considered an offensive team, their lineup with small ball discussed through the lens of scoring and wide-open lanes ripe for penetration. But if their changing defense clicks, they could be a monster. It is very difficult to find open looks when they are tied together.
OKC did not help themselves by farming for the exchange. They need to move more, both ball and player. Paul was too passive as a scorer for too long, and by the time he really started shoving the envelope, the game was over. That may not be the case in Game 2.
If you’re Houston, you absolutely love what you saw of Gordon in this game. If he plays so aggressively, in search of his crime, Westbrook’s absence is manageable in the short term. By the time Westbrook returns, if the Rockets get these kinds of peripheral appearances, they’ll be hard pressed to stop. It gets simple: Harden draws doubles, Westbrook hits the open space and makes or ends himself from kicks to shooters who are in rhythm.
It’s just one game, but in a series that saw many as likely the most equal matched first-rounders, the Rockets saw themselves as the clearly better team at both ends and one that could be dangerous deep into these playoffs. cow.
