Houston Rockets: Takeaways From Game 1 Victory Over Thunder

The Houston Rockets cruised to a Game 1 victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder. What are the key takeaways from the impressive victory?

When you win a game by more than 30 points, there aren’t many adjustments a team should have to make. And that is certainly the case for the Houston Rockets, after their impressive 118-87 victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder in Game 1 of their first-round series.

However, there were things the Rockets can take away from this game as they look to build on it in Game 2 on Wednesday. The last thing the Rockets want is to lose Game 2 and surrender home court advantage to the Thunder.

With that being said, here are some key takeaways from Game 1.

1) Crash the glass

The Thunder were the best rebounding team in the NBA during the regular season, as they grabbed 46.6 rebounds per game, with 12.2 of them being on the offensive end, also tops in the league.

Meanwhile, the Rockets were eighth in the league in rebounding, but just league average getting defensive rebounds.

Houston Rockets /

Houston Rockets

So it’s not a surprise that almost every preview of this series talked about how the Thunder would take advantage on the boards against the Rockets.

Then Game 1 happened. The Rockets grabbed 56 rebounds to Oklahoma City’s 41. The Rockets doubled up the Thunder on the offensive glass, grabbing 14 offensive rebounds to the seven for the Thunder. The Rockets had 31 second-chance points, while the Thunder had just four.

That advantage for the Rockets allowed them to get more possessions, catch the Thunder defense off-guard, and control the game throughout.

If the Rockets continue to hit the boards like they did in Game 1, they will neutralize the biggest advantage for the Thunder, while providing more opportunities for their potent offense to put points on the board. Speaking of that offense …

2) Continue shooting threes

Now I know what you’re thinking: “Duh, of course the Rockets are going to keep shooting,” and you’re right. The Rockets will continue to launch threes left and right.

However, the Thunder did a great job in Game 1 of running the Rockets off the three-point line, which led to 62 points in the paint in Game 1 for Houston.

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Although it may have seemed like the Rockets kept launching their threes in Game 1, they took just 33 threes, hitting 10 of them. As I’ve written previously, the Rockets three-point percentage has fallen in recent months and is something to keep your eye on as the playoffs continue.

But against the Thunder, the number of three-point attempts is also something to watch as this series continues.

The 33 attempts the Rockets had in Game 1 was significantly less than the 40.3 attempts they averaged per game in the regular season, but if the Thunder continue to play big, the Rockets will get looks from beyond the arc.

Ryan Anderson, Eric Gordon, Trevor Ariza, and Lou Williams combined to shoot 2-for-13 from beyond the arc, something that probably won’t happen again during this series.

However, if the Thunder continue to chase the Rockets off the three-point line, Houston can take advantage and score at the rim.

3) Let Andre Roberson shoot

Andre Roberson shot 24.6 percent on three-pointers during the regular season. However, in Game 1, Roberson hit four of his six attempts from beyond the arc, as James Harden and the Rockets were happy to see him take those shots.

Now, you might say, “Oh, well he hit 4-of-6, so the Rockets should guard him on the perimeter!” I would counter by asking you what the chances are that Roberson turns in to a good shooter in the playoffs? The correct answer: very slim.

Now, was James Harden giving Roberson more space than he should have? Probably. However, Harden’s presence in the paint made things difficult for Russell Westbrook, which led to a 6-for-23 shooting night and nine turnovers for Westbrook.

In fact, Harden himself had three steals from deflecting passes while camping in the paint while Roberson was on the perimeter.

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A Roberson three-point attempt is exactly the shot the Rockets want to allow on defense, and when Roberson reverts back to his regular season three-point shooting, the Rockets’ defense will be even more equipped to defend Russell Westbrook.

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Houston Rockets: Takeaways From Game One Victory Over Thunder

By Eric Spyropoulos | Apr 18, 2017