Houston Rockets: 3 takeaways from Game 3 vs. Timberwolves

3. Shots from downtown are not falling

Despite shooting 45.7 percent from the field in Game 3, the Rockets struggled to get shots to fall from beyond the arc for the third consecutive outing against Minnesota. The team that set the record for attempting the most 3-pointers in NBA history for the second consecutive season has managed to go cold at arguably the worse time of the year.

Houston, which hit four out of its last seven triples in the first half to draw to within one point at halftime, shot just 15-for-41 (36.6 percent) from 3-point range.

This is a major concern for an offense that relies on generating the majority of its offensive production from the perimeter, as the Rockets have hoisted up an average of 44.3 attempts through their first three games of the postseason, and hit only 31.5 percent of their shots from downtown — ranking 14th in the league among all 16 teams in the 2018 NBA Playoffs.

Although the Rockets have found a way to generate their fair share of offensive opportunities by attacking the rim and generating points in the paint, one must hope that Houston finds a way to return to the form it displayed throughout the regular season sooner rather than later. Doing so could prove to make a huge difference, as catching fire from deep will give head coach Mike D’Antoni and his squad the opportunity to space the floor.

It would also open up more driving lanes for the likes of Eric Gordon, Paul and Harden, as finding their rhythm from deep will play a vital role in the Rockets’ success throughout the rest of the playoffs.