Houston Rockets vs OKC Thunder Prediction: James Harden looking to find his way past Chris Paul and company l NBA Playoffs 2020
The battle between the No. 1 seed and the No. 8 seed in the Western Conference has arguably captured majority of the attention till now, which has led to many basketball fans overlooking the series between the Houston Rockets and the OKC Thunder in the NBA Playoffs.
With the Houston Rockets taking game one and game two fairly convincingly, there was no reason to believe anything other than the possibility of OKC Thunder being swept. But the OKC Thunder led by veteran Chris Paul had other plans come Game 3.
Game 3 ended with a scoreline of 119-107 in favor of the OKC Thunder. What contributed to this victory, was the combined impressive performances by Chris Paul, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Dennis Schroder.
On the other hand, while the Houston Rockets had an average defensive performance, their offense left a lot to be desired in game three. It was a game where the Houston Rockets severely missed Russell Westbrook, and fans would be praying for his return to the roster sooner rather than later.
The combination of the OKC Thunders' high offensive output and the Houston Rockets pedestrian defensive display contributed greatly towards this unusual win.
But, there was more to this game. How did the Houston Rockets lose, and does OKC Thunder have a chance to win the series?
Houston Rockets underperform massively
The reason for the defeat is hard to judge. One doesn't know whether it was down to the team getting complacent after winning 2 games or was it just an excellent performance by OKC Thunder. There is no doubt, that the Houston Rockets were half-hearted at best and underperformed severely.
It seemed they had control for the first half and played fairly well, keeping an average lead of 7 points at a time.
However, Houston Rocket fans will be infuriated with the team's performance in the second half, after being completed outplayed by the OKC Thunder.
Often called one of the greatest scorers of all time, James Harden's had an awful shooting night. Harden recorded 38 points, 7 rebounds, and 8 assists during game three. While those numbers are elite, they don't tell the whole story. Harden was cold from long range, going 3 of 13 beyond the arc. If the Houston Rockets hope to end this series with a gentleman sweep then they will need their franchise player to step up and perform similar to his output in first two games.
A major positive for the Houston Rockets however was the performance of Jeff Green. On a night where their superstar leader was inefficient, the Houston Rockets player impressed greatly on both ends.
Often lacking on the offensive end, Jeff Green was surprisingly very effective in game 3, recording 22 points and 7 rebounds in 38 minutes.
Eric Gordon also had a good game. Although nowhere close to his best on offense, the 31-year-old did well defensively and helped the Houston Rockets to stay in the game for as long as they did.
Even with the Houston Rockets underperforming, the OKC Thunder do deserve a lot of credit for the win.
It was the OKC Thunder's night
It was just one of those nights for OKC Thunder head coach Billy Donovan. His tactics worked out perfectly, and the shots his team took fell perfectly more often than not. Whether it was by luck or by design, the OKC Thunder had a brilliant showing against the Houston Rockets in Game 3.
Dennis Schroder was the most impressive player on the floor, recording 29 points, 5 rebounds, and 5 assists in 39 minutes.
Chris Paul and Gilgeous-Alexander were admirable as well, with veteran point gaurd making many incredible shots throughout the night and the 22-year-old sinking the three that sent the game to overtime.
Is this easier to read or The defensive performance from OKC Thunder was also impressive, however, it wasn't something spectacular.
In 36 minutes of play, Luguentz Dort stunned James Harden and the Houston Rockets with his performance. Dort was assigned to James Harden on the defensive end and did his job so well, that the Houston Rockets' star was completely shut down on more than just a few occasions.
Dort doesn't seem to be very good offensively, as he struggled with his shooting all game. But, after demonstrating his defensive ability against one of the best scorers in the league, Dort has proven himself as potentially an important piece in this series.
Houston Rockets vs OKC Thunder Prediction
Despite game three, the fact of the matter is, the Houston Rockets are not in any trouble. They currently lead the series 2-1 and have shown their current group of players, when motivated, are well equipped to ease past the OKC Thunder.
This, coupled with the fact that Russell Westbrook is close to being completely fit again, and there really remains no hope for the OKC Thunder to advance to the next round.
What needs to be kept in mind is that the OKC Thunder are not a win-now team, but a young team building towards the future.
Despite the lopsided nature of this series though, it is still an important one for the OKC Thunder. Having a core so young, they need to gain important playoff experience. If the franchise continues on the right track, this experience from today will prove to be very important in the future.
But, with regards to this matchup in NBA Playoffs 2020, it would be a huge shock to see the Houston Rockets lose the series to the OKC Thunder.
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