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Stats Suggest Houston Rockets Are In Big Trouble Despite Evening Series

By Mark Vandeusen

May 4, 2015; Houston, TX, USA; Los Angeles Clippers guard Austin Rivers (25) dribbles against the Houston Rockets in game one of the second round of the NBA Playoffs at Toyota Center. Los Angeles Clippers won 117 to 101. Mandatory Credit: Thomas B. Shea-USA TODAY Sports
May 4, 2015; Houston, TX, USA; Los Angeles Clippers guard Austin Rivers (25) dribbles against the Houston Rockets in game one of the second round of the NBA Playoffs at Toyota Center. Los Angeles Clippers won 117 to 101. Mandatory Credit: Thomas B. Shea-USA TODAY Sports /
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On Wednesday, the Houston Rockets defeated the Los Angeles Clippers 115-109, knotting up their second-round series at one game apiece.  Even with the Game 2 home victory, it’s hard to feel very good about the Rockets’ chances in the series going forward.

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Starting with the basics, through two games Houston is surrendering an average of 113 points per contest.  During the regular season the Rockets allowed their opponents to score and average of 100.5 points per game.

In their first-round series against the Dallas Mavericks, the Mavs averaged 110 PPG, but the Rockets still won easily, 4-1.  However, the Clippers are putting up 113 PPG without the services of their All-Star point guard, Chris Paul, who recently finished sixth in the MVP voting.  Paul missed Games 1 and 2 in Houston with a hamstring strain, but is expected back later in the series.

Had L.A. not pulled off a surprising 117-101 upset in Game 1, who knows if Paul might’ve even suited up for Game 2.

What makes the Clippers offensive output through two games even more discouraging for Rockets fans is the fact that L.A. replaced Paul (and his 19.1 points and 10.2 assists per game) in the starting lineup with Austin Rivers, a player who’s not even a point guard.

Rivers averaged just 7.0 points and 2.0 assists on the season–his career high for assists, nine, is less than Paul’s career per-game average (9.9).   Rivers notched just five assists in the series’ first two games combined, but the Clippers’ offense kept right on rolling.

Houston shot 5-for-26 (19.2 percent) from beyond the arc in Game 2, and 42-for-64 (65.6 percent) at the free-throw line (more on that in a moment).  The Rockets didn’t fare much better in those areas in Game 1 either, going 11-for-33 (33.3 percent) on threes and 14-for-24 (58.3 percent) at the foul line.

In total over the two games, Houston is shooting 27.1 percent (16-for-59) from downtown and 63.6 percent (56-for-88) at the charity stripe.

James Harden went 5-for-6 at the line in Game 1 and 15-for-15 in Game 2.  The rest of Harden’s teammates are a combined 36-for-67, just 53.7 percent.  The Clippers, on the other hand, are shooting their free throws at a 75.8 percent clip (47-for-62) despite the presence of DeAndre Jordan, who’s coming off the second-worst free-throw percentage season of all time (39.7 percent).

Jordan is 10-for-17 (58.8 percent) in the series, better than the Rockets minus Harden.

That tweet doesn’t even do proper justice to how absurd 64 free-throw attempts in one game really is.  It last happened in the NBA on March 3, 2014, when the Minnesota Timberwolves took 64 freebies against the Denver Nuggets.  However, before that no team had shot 64 or more free throws in a game since 1999.

It’s only occurred a total of 23 times in the last 51 seasons (as far back as Basketball-Reference keeps track).

Despite getting to the foul line 64 times against a Clippers squad with Rivers playing the point instead of Paul, the Rockets still battled for a hard-fought six-point win at home to even the series, with the next two games set to take place in Los Angeles.  Unless Paul’s hamstring keeps him out for a prolonged stretch, No. 2 seed Houston is in serious trouble.

Next: James Harden Among Most Prolific Free Throw Shooters Ever

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