Houston Rockets: 3 takeaways from Game 2 vs. Timberwolves

1. Chris Paul bounces back

After having 48 hours to reflect upon the six turnovers he committed in the Rockets’ postseason opener, Chris Paul returned to the court in full-out attack mode, making critical shots and plays throughout the course of Game 2.

Paul appeared to be in total control of the offense Wednesday night, creating plenty of scoring opportunities for his teammates and himself. Paul exploited Minnesota’s defense on multiple occasions in isolation in the latter part of the game. Timberwolves such as forward Nemanja Bjelica proved to be unfortunate targets at the 32-year-old mercenary’s disposal.

"“I know he was beating himself up after Game 1,” Harden told reporters. “He called me and we talked a little bit and I said: ‘Don’t worry about it, the win’s all that matters so just come back and be aggressive.'”"

In spite of struggling mightily throughout the course of Game 1, Paul’s bounce-back performance could not have come at a better time for the Rockets. They needed everything the future Hall-of-Famer provided to compensate for the absence of Harden on offense. Games such as these show exactly why Houston sought to acquire the nine-time All-Star prior to the start of the season.

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Houston will now look to rest up and recover over the next couple of days, prior to heading out to the Twin Cities for Game 3 on Saturday.