West Conf. Finals Game 2: Golden State Warriors 105-127 Houston Rockets - Rockets' Player Ratings
The Rockets were smart coming off their loss in Game 1, and despite most detractors dismissing their chances before tipoff, they came out to play with an aggression and energy that was not on display in the first game. They changed their approach to the game, pushing the pace on each possession, capitalizing off turnovers and sharing the ball much better than they did in Game 1.
The results were quite spectacular, as this game was pretty much a beatdown of sorts for the Oakland-based franchise. This is the heaviest defeat for the Golden State Warriors in the postseason this year, and the game was effectively over with more than 5 minutes on the clock and the Rockets leading by 28 points at 119-91 - a margin 1 point lower than their largest lead of 29 points.
The following are the player ratings from the game:
Chris Paul - 7.5/10
Stat line: 16 points, 4 rebounds, 6 assists, 3 steals, 6-of-14 (42.9 fg%), 1-of-5 (3p%)
Chris Paul is yet to find his shooting stroke in this series, but he was the catalyst for much of the Rockets' transition play today. He was a pesky defender as usual, but the stat line supports his case tonight as he netted 3 steals.
CP3 has so far outplayed his opposite number and 2-time MVP Steph Curry on both ends of the court, and he had an ankle-breaker in Game 1 fashion today as well. The Point God also knocked down a Harden-style step-back jumper from mid-range that got the fans raving.
His best work on the night was as an assist man, but he did not hoard the ball for 15-odd seconds to rack those up - as he was prone to in Game 1. A couple of his assists to teammates Capela and PJ Tucker will surely be making the highlight reels for the game.