The Houston Rockets lost a nail biter to the Oklahoma City Thunder in Game 3. What are the key takeaways from the tough road loss?
Being down 2-0 and playing at home, everyone expected the Oklahoma City Thunder to come out with the energy and desperation to avoid falling into the insurmountable 3-0 deficit. And that’s exactly what happened.
The Thunder came out with energy, shared the ball, and were engaged defensively. Meanwhile, the Houston Rockets failed to show up to the party until the second quarter.
In the end, there were clutch plays made on both sides, but the Thunder escaped with a 115-113 win after James Harden missed a three at the buzzer.
Now let’s get to the takeaways.
No. 1: Houston Must Come Out With More Energy
This makes it two straight games where the Rockets opened up playing lethargic and careless with the ball. Last night, Harden had five turnovers in the first quarter, and the Rockets found themselves down by double digits early in the game.
Just like in Game 2, the Rockets were able to weather the storm and cut it down to a nine-point deficit after one, but the Thunder maintained a significant lead throughout the first half.
On the surface, there are reasons as to why the Rockets have started the past two games this way. In Game 2, they were following a cruise control blowout in Game 1 and were playing in the comfort of the Toyota Center.
In Game 3, they owned a 2-0 lead after making an incredible comeback in the fourth quarter to steal Game 2.
However, these slow starts must end in Game 4. If the Rockets come out with the intensity they have in the second half, they can be the team that holds a significant lead throughout the game and put a stranglehold on the series.
Coming out with more energy is even more imperative on the road, as evident by the rabid Oklahoma City fans during Game 3 as the Thunder played well early on.
After the Game 3 loss, both Harden and Mike D’Antoni pointed out that the slow starts need to end. Let’s see if they do something about them.
Space City Scoop
No. 2: Role Players Must Step Up
So far in this series, James Harden’s passes made, assists, and potential assists are all significantly down compared to the regular season.
Harden’s scoring has increased to 38.7 points per game (on 47 percent shooting from the field), but his teammates have been letting him down.
Because of his teammates’ struggles, Harden is looking to score himself more, which is something that is certainly welcome by Rockets fans.
However, if the Rockets want to achieve long-term playoff success (or even escape this series), several role players must step up.
Ryan Anderson finally played a good game offensively in Game 3, scoring 18 points on 8-14 shooting. Lou Williams continued his great offensive play, scoring 22 points on 9-15 shooting off the bench.
Unfortunately, Trevor Ariza, Clint Capela, Patrick Beverley, and Nene combined to score just 17 points on 5-of-22 shooting. That simply won’t cut it. Focusing on Ariza, he’s shooting just 33.3 percent from the field and has yet to hit a 3-point field goal in the series.
For Harden to trust his teammates, they have to be able to hit shots. For the series, the Rockets are shooting 32 percent on threes. In fact, the Thunder are shooting a higher percentage than the Rockets from beyond the arc, on just six less attempts.
The Rockets entered the series with a clear advantage from beyond the arc. However, that advantage has been neutralized by a very good Thunder defense that’s running shooters off the 3-point line, forcing them into tough decisions or midrange jumpers.
The Rockets’ offense must generate better looks, but more importantly, they must hit their open shots from beyond the arc. When the Rockets got hot from beyond the arc in the fourth quarter of Game 2, it propelled them to victory.
One game of hot shooting from Houston (especially in Game 4) will effectively put this series away. It’s time the Rockets started hitting their threes.
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With Game 4 being a Sunday afternoon start, it will be interesting to see how the Houston Rockets start the game. They must come out with energy and must hit their threes. If they do so, this series could be all but over heading back to Houston next week.