With their shot at an NBA championship hanging in the balance, the Houston Rockets responded in one of the league’s most hostile road environments during Game 4 of the 2018 Western Conference Finals.
On a night where it appeared things would go awry for the Houston Rockets, the team that finished the regular season with the best record in basketball found a way to weather the storm by withstanding multiple runs, and fighting back to reclaim control of their playoff lives in arguably the league’s toughest environment.
James Harden poured in a game-high 30 points, alongside of Chris Paul‘s 27, to help the Rockets even up the 2018 Western Conference Finals at two games apiece with a 95-92 win against the Golden State Warriors at the Oracle Arena Tuesday night.
"“It’s all about toughness right now,” Rockets head coach Mike D’Antoni told reporters shortly after Game 4 in Oakland. “I think there was great basketball played on both sides…the rest of it is just gutting it out.” “We fought back.”"
Houston, which trailed by as many as 12 points in the first and third quarter, marched back into the contest with the help of its two leading stars in Game 4. They combined for 29 of their 57 points in the second quarter, propelling the Rockets out in front with a 16-5 run prior to halftime.
In addition, they played critical roles in a defensive surge, helping Clutch City hold the defending world champions to one of their worst shooting performances of the season in the game’s final frame.
The Warriors went 3-18 from the field in the 4th quarter (16.7%), their worst shooting quarter this season. pic.twitter.com/DvUZVUDcwA
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) May 23, 2018
Eric Gordon contributed to the cause for Houston off the bench with 14 points, while Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant led the way for Golden State, with 28 and 27 points, respectively.
Here are the three major takeaways from Clutch City’s win in Game 4.