After a dud of a game in Game 1, Game 2 provided the excitement that fans and bettors were expecting from this series with Harden and Westbrook going toe to toe all night long.
Oklahoma City Thunder guard Russell Westbrook (0) drives to the basket between Houston Rockets forward Trevor Ariza (1) and Houston Rockets guard Eric Gordon (10) during the fourth quarter in game three of the first round of the 2017 NBA Playoffs at Chesapeake Energy Arena.
But he shot just 4 for 18 in the fourth quarter as the Rockets clawed back from a double-digit deficit to surge ahead before holding on. It may take more than just Westbrook's efforts for the Thunder to top the Rockets, it will require a strong team effort.
Williams did what he does best: take and make tough shots.
"Nah, I was all right", he said.
Eric Gordon, who hit clutch shots late added this after the game: "Down the stretch you've just got to be ready", Gordon said. I shot it with confidence.
"That's my whole thing, I just try to be efficient out there", McGee said.
With all this debate about the MVP race and the two players facing off in the first round of the NBA Playoffs, AccuScore made a decision to run some simulations to gauge how their teams would do without them. Thunder vs Rockets live stream is available on NBA League Pass. Thunder vs Rockets Game 2 tv channel is on TNT.
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As previously mentioned the Thunder went on to lose the game after being outscored 29-22 in the fourth quarter. Dwight Howard had only seven rebounds, half his Game 1 total, and scored six points. Doug McDermott was one of them. This time, shots and contributions were distributed more evenly throughout the game. Houston was 5 for 8 from deep in the fourth quarter.
The Thunder had started impressively, leading 34-25 at the end of a sizzling first quarter and 65-58 at halftime as they shot an impressive 61 percent.
Get scoring updates and the live box score from Game 2 between the Rockets and Thunder above.
Beverley struggled throughout Game 3 as the Thunder got back in the series with a 115-113 victory after Houston won the first two games at home. That's a nice bonus for the Thunder (and potentially Roberson, who will be a restricted free agent this summer), but it underscores what they're not getting from players they normally count on for scoring.
Ian Clark scored 13 points, Andre Iguodala contributed 10 rebounds, six assists and six points, and Zaza Pachulia scored 10 points.
The bench backcourt is not the be-all, end-all for Houston, but when they both contribute, the Rockets' ceiling becomes significantly higher. Most of these guys have never been in the playoffs, and even those that have don't have a good enough offensive game. "I thought in the third quarter we settled our offense down which helped our defense".
But the Thunder wrested back the advantage and led 93-83 going into the final period. Despite losing their final regular season game, Oklahoma City had already successfully earned a spot in the postseason.
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