Houston Rockets are through to the second round of the NBA playoffs after getting a 104-102 win over Oklahoma City Thunder in the deciding Game 7 on Wednesday night.

The game was highlighted by James Harden, but not for the reasons you would think. In the closing seconds of the game, Harden blocked Luguentz Dort’s three-point attempt and robbed the Thunder of the chance to win the series with a buzzer-beater.  

Harden had a poor game offensively, shooting 1-9 from the three-point arc and finishing the night with 17 points. Still, his shooting struggles didn’t matter as he made up the difference on the defense.

“It was one of those nights offensively so I just wanted to change the game defensively and I think I did that,” Harden told reporters after the game.

Rockets were led in scoring by Robert Covington and Eric Gordon, who scored 21 each, while All-Star guard Russell Westbrook added 20 against his former team.

On the other side, Dort was a standout for OKC, pouring in 30 points and breaking the franchise’s rookie playoffs record that was previously held by James Harden. Chris Paul had a triple-double with 19 points, 11 rebounds, and 12 assists, while Shai Gilgeous-Alexander contributed with 19 points and four assists.

“It’s a tough one. It’s tough,” said Paul. “We fought hard all year. Honestly, a lot of people doubted us, but we didn’t doubt ourselves. We didn’t give a damn about anybody’s predictions going into any series.”

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The Houston Rockets tied NBA record for most three-point attempts in regulation on Sunday night against Milwaukee Bucks, but it was their defense that got them the 116-120 win 

The Rockets led the game for the most part, but the Bucks managed to creep onto them late in the third quarter and entered the fourth period with 89-90 lead. Milwaukee then increased their advantage to eight with 3:03 left in regulation, and it seemed that the team with the NBA’s best record in 2019/20 is going to easily route another tough opponent.

But small-ball Houston had other ideas, tightening on defense and not allowing the Bucks best player Giannis Antetokounmpo to get easy buckets. Rockets’ All-Star James Harden especially played well on Antetokounmpo, forcing his two turnovers late in the game.

The Rockets used their good defense to generate offense and got within a striking distance thanks to PJ Tucker’s three and Robert Covington’s layup. Russell Westbrook and Danuel House then proved clutch on the free-throw line in dying minutes of the game and got the game out of Milwaukee’s range.

The loss didn’t do damage for the Bucks on the standings, but the Rockets greatly benefited. They are now fourth in the Western Conference with 42-24 record.

Westbrook was Houston’s main offensive weapon on Sunday night, scoring 31 points with eight assists, while Harden added 24 points and six steals. Rockets shot NBA-record 61 threes, hitting 21 of them.

Antetokounmpo led the Bucks with 36 points and 18 rebounds. Kris Middleton and Brook Lopez added 27 and 23 points, respectively. 

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Don’t expect Houston Rockets to use their two remaining roster spots on a center. Instead, Rockets will reportedly go all-in on their small-ball approach and sign forwards Jeff Green and DeMarre Carroll.

Green, who has been a free agent since December, will sign a 10-day contract with Rockets before committing on a full deal until the end of the season.

Carroll, on the other hand, became a free agent just recently, agreeing to a contract buyout with San Antonio Spurs on Monday. The 33-year-old will officially land in Houston once he clears waivers.

After a productive 2018/19 season with Washington Wizards, in which he averaged 12.3 points and 4.0 rebounds, Jeff Green signed with Utah Jazz in the summer. His time with Jazz, however, lasted only 30 games before the team decided to cut him in an attempt to shake up their at-the-time struggling roster.  Green averaged 7.8 points while playing 18.4 minutes per game in Utah.

DeMarre Carroll, on the other hand, joined the San Antonio Spurs in a sign-and-trade deal during the offseason, signing a three-year, $20.7 million deal with the organization. However, this deal went south for both sides, as Carroll struggled to fit with the rest of the Spurs’ team. He ended up playing 15 games, in which he averaged just 9.0 minutes per game and had 2.2 points average.

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Houston Rockets were without both James Harden and Russell Westbrook on Monday night against Utah Jazz, but it didn’t matter in the end. In the absence of the team’s superstars, Eric Gordon stepped in and scored 50 points to lead the Rockets to an unlikely 126-117 win.

Considering that the Rockets were playing a back-to-back game, Westbrook sat down as part of his load management. Harden was previously out with a thigh contusion, while the team was also short-handed on center, as starter Clint Capela dealt with a heel contusion. Jazz, on the other hand, were in full strength and have won 19 out of their last 21 games.

Despite this, Rockets managed to get off to a good start, playing with a small lineup that gave Utah a lot of problems. Houston was effective in getting to the free-throw line, shooting 49 free throws and making 35. Gordon, who finished the game with 50 points, six rebounds, three assists, and two steals, alone got to the 20 times, compared to Jazz’s 26 attempts as a unit.

Gordon was happy with his performance after the game, saying he was “getting back to being” himself after the knee surgery he had back in November.  

“I feel like I’m getting back to being myself,” said Gordon. “I told everybody when you have surgery during the season, it’s always going to be a process.”

Austin Rivers and Danuel House Jr. also did their part, scoring 21 points each to lift the Rockets to 29-17 record.

Jazz, on the other hand, saw a big scoring night from Donovan Mitchell, who scored 36 points to go with three rebounds, four assists, and three steals. Bojan Bogdanovic added 30 points and two assists while Rudy Gobert had 12 points and 14 rebounds. 

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Houston Rockets are through to the second round of the NBA playoffs after getting a 104-102 win over Oklahoma City Thunder in the deciding Game 7 on Wednesday night.

The game was highlighted by James Harden, but not for the reasons you would think. In the closing seconds of the game, Harden blocked Luguentz Dort’s three-point attempt and robbed the Thunder of the chance to win the series with a buzzer-beater.  

Harden had a poor game offensively, shooting 1-9 from the three-point arc and finishing the night with 17 points. Still, his shooting struggles didn’t matter as he made up the difference on the defense.

“It was one of those nights offensively so I just wanted to change the game defensively and I think I did that,” Harden told reporters after the game.

Rockets were led in scoring by Robert Covington and Eric Gordon, who scored 21 each, while All-Star guard Russell Westbrook added 20 against his former team.

On the other side, Dort was a standout for OKC, pouring in 30 points and breaking the franchise’s rookie playoffs record that was previously held by James Harden. Chris Paul had a triple-double with 19 points, 11 rebounds, and 12 assists, while Shai Gilgeous-Alexander contributed with 19 points and four assists.

“It’s a tough one. It’s tough,” said Paul. “We fought hard all year. Honestly, a lot of people doubted us, but we didn’t doubt ourselves. We didn’t give a damn about anybody’s predictions going into any series.”

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The Houston Rockets tied NBA record for most three-point attempts in regulation on Sunday night against Milwaukee Bucks, but it was their defense that got them the 116-120 win 

The Rockets led the game for the most part, but the Bucks managed to creep onto them late in the third quarter and entered the fourth period with 89-90 lead. Milwaukee then increased their advantage to eight with 3:03 left in regulation, and it seemed that the team with the NBA’s best record in 2019/20 is going to easily route another tough opponent.

But small-ball Houston had other ideas, tightening on defense and not allowing the Bucks best player Giannis Antetokounmpo to get easy buckets. Rockets’ All-Star James Harden especially played well on Antetokounmpo, forcing his two turnovers late in the game.

The Rockets used their good defense to generate offense and got within a striking distance thanks to PJ Tucker’s three and Robert Covington’s layup. Russell Westbrook and Danuel House then proved clutch on the free-throw line in dying minutes of the game and got the game out of Milwaukee’s range.

The loss didn’t do damage for the Bucks on the standings, but the Rockets greatly benefited. They are now fourth in the Western Conference with 42-24 record.

Westbrook was Houston’s main offensive weapon on Sunday night, scoring 31 points with eight assists, while Harden added 24 points and six steals. Rockets shot NBA-record 61 threes, hitting 21 of them.

Antetokounmpo led the Bucks with 36 points and 18 rebounds. Kris Middleton and Brook Lopez added 27 and 23 points, respectively. 

The post Rockets Tie NBA 3-Point Attempts Record to Beat the Bucks appeared first on SportzBonanza.

Don’t expect Houston Rockets to use their two remaining roster spots on a center. Instead, Rockets will reportedly go all-in on their small-ball approach and sign forwards Jeff Green and DeMarre Carroll.

Green, who has been a free agent since December, will sign a 10-day contract with Rockets before committing on a full deal until the end of the season.

Carroll, on the other hand, became a free agent just recently, agreeing to a contract buyout with San Antonio Spurs on Monday. The 33-year-old will officially land in Houston once he clears waivers.

After a productive 2018/19 season with Washington Wizards, in which he averaged 12.3 points and 4.0 rebounds, Jeff Green signed with Utah Jazz in the summer. His time with Jazz, however, lasted only 30 games before the team decided to cut him in an attempt to shake up their at-the-time struggling roster.  Green averaged 7.8 points while playing 18.4 minutes per game in Utah.

DeMarre Carroll, on the other hand, joined the San Antonio Spurs in a sign-and-trade deal during the offseason, signing a three-year, $20.7 million deal with the organization. However, this deal went south for both sides, as Carroll struggled to fit with the rest of the Spurs’ team. He ended up playing 15 games, in which he averaged just 9.0 minutes per game and had 2.2 points average.

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Houston Rockets were without both James Harden and Russell Westbrook on Monday night against Utah Jazz, but it didn’t matter in the end. In the absence of the team’s superstars, Eric Gordon stepped in and scored 50 points to lead the Rockets to an unlikely 126-117 win.

Considering that the Rockets were playing a back-to-back game, Westbrook sat down as part of his load management. Harden was previously out with a thigh contusion, while the team was also short-handed on center, as starter Clint Capela dealt with a heel contusion. Jazz, on the other hand, were in full strength and have won 19 out of their last 21 games.

Despite this, Rockets managed to get off to a good start, playing with a small lineup that gave Utah a lot of problems. Houston was effective in getting to the free-throw line, shooting 49 free throws and making 35. Gordon, who finished the game with 50 points, six rebounds, three assists, and two steals, alone got to the 20 times, compared to Jazz’s 26 attempts as a unit.

Gordon was happy with his performance after the game, saying he was “getting back to being” himself after the knee surgery he had back in November.  

“I feel like I’m getting back to being myself,” said Gordon. “I told everybody when you have surgery during the season, it’s always going to be a process.”

Austin Rivers and Danuel House Jr. also did their part, scoring 21 points each to lift the Rockets to 29-17 record.

Jazz, on the other hand, saw a big scoring night from Donovan Mitchell, who scored 36 points to go with three rebounds, four assists, and three steals. Bojan Bogdanovic added 30 points and two assists while Rudy Gobert had 12 points and 14 rebounds. 

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