After struggling to find any sort of rhythm throughout the first three and half games of the 2018 NBA Playoffs, the Houston Rockets put together their greatest offensive exhibition of the season against the Minnesota Timberwolves in Game 4. Here are the three takeaways from Clutch City’s stellar outing.
Despite failing to convert a bevy of clean looks throughout the first half, the Houston Rockets needed only 12 minutes to show the entire league just what they are capable of.
James Harden scored 22 of the team’s franchise record 50 points in the third quarter, en route to leading the Rockets to a 119-100 win against the Minnesota Timberwolves in Game 4 to take a 3-1 series lead in the Western Conference quarterfinals.
"“We had the mentality to be aggressive, make or missed shots,” Harden told reporters following his 36-point explosion in Game 4. “That’s what we do. We shoot the basketball, and eventually they’ll start falling.”"
Houston, which held a narrow one-point lead going into halftime, matched its exact first half total in the period. Shooting a scorching 61 percent from the field, the Rockets fell just one point shy of tying the 1962 Los Angeles Lakers atop of the NBA playoff record books for the most points scored in a single quarter. The Lakers scored 51 points in the fourth quarter of a 132-125 playoff loss to the Detroit Pistons on March 31, 1962.
Chris Paul, who posted 15 points on 4-of-6 shooting in the Rockets marvelous quarter, finished the night with 25 points and six assists, while Eric Gordon contributed 18 points off the bench in the victory for Houston.
Karl-Anthony Towns led the way for Minnesota with 22 points, while Derrick Rose added 17 points in a losing effort.
Here are the three major takeaways from Clutch City’s win in Game 4.