NBA Playoffs 2018-19: 3 Talking Points from Golden State Warriors vs Houston Rockets- Game 5
A superb game was on the cards as the Houston Rockets were on the road to play the Golden State Warriors in Game 5 at the Oracle Arena.
Houston Rockets tied the series at 2-2 at Houston in Game 4. But in Game 5, they had no answer to the might of the Warriors at home as the Warriors won 104-99 in a really entertaining game.
In the other game of the night, the Boston Celtics succumbed to the might of the Milwaukee Bucks, losing the game 91-116 and crashing out of the playoffs.
With Game 5 of the series between coming to an end tonight and the Warriors taking a 3-2 lead to Game 6 at Houston, here are the 3 main talking points.
#3 Houston Rockets need their supporting cast to show up
The Houston Rockets were coming into Game 5 on a hot streak, after winning both Game 3 and 4 at Houston and levelling the series at 2-2.
A huge part of this was the contribution that the Rockets got from their bench and the supporting cast of their starting 5.
Eric Gordon has been the second option on offense throughout the series and has been excellent. But in Game 5, he could only muster 19 points on 30% shooting from beyond the arc.
Clint Capela has been in a slump in this playoff series and his form improved in Games 3 and 4, but was again woeful tonight, scoring just 6 points and grabbed 14 rebounds, shooting 30%.
The second shining star of the team, Chris Paul, has not been forceful on the offense but has controlled the game throughout, yet in Game 5, he could only manage 11 points, shooting just 21%.
The bench too combined for just 19 points, with Shumpert scoring 11 of them. If the Rockets want to take this to Game 7 and move to the finals, they need to provide Harden with all the support they can.