All-Star guard and MVP finalist James Harden led the Rockets with 37 points in Houston’s dominant Game 1 win to start the first round of the 2020 NBA playoffs, and he saved his best for when it mattered most.
Harden connected on 8-of-10 shots (80%) to score 22 second-half points, including 4-of-6 on 3-pointers (66.7%). Each time it seemed Oklahoma City might be poised for a run to creep back into the game, Harden typically had the answer. In Houston’s 123-108 victory (box score), the Thunder never came within single digits in Tuesday’s second half.
“Our ball movement tonight was excellent,” Harden said postgame. “We were just playing off the catch. Guys were just very confident in their shots. I think we had a lot of opportunities that we missed that were really good shots. We did a really good job of not turning the basketball over, which would’ve gave them opportunities to get out in transition.”
Harden had shot just 4-of-12 (33.3%) in the first half.
Going through the box score:
In the 2nd half alone, Harden had 22 points, shooting 8-10 from the field and 4-6 from 3 in 16 minutes.
One of the best halves of his playoffs career. https://t.co/xT6MpTCYhd
— Disney Gary Clark (@Itamar1710) August 19, 2020
Harden also led the undersized Rockets with 11 rebounds, and the presence of Jeff Green (22 points, +28 in 32 minutes) as a secondary playmaker — especially in the absence of injured co-star Russell Westbrook — may have helped Harden conserve energy. That extra energy was evident in Harden’s efficiency (54.5% overall shooting, 46.2% on 3-pointers), and with his efforts on defense and rebounding.
“It’s huge for us,” Harden said of Green’s ball-handling ability. “Now I don’t have to just dribble the basketball up. Those guards can kind of pressure me. He’s able to dribble the ball up and get us in our offense.”
With the 6-foot-8 Green as a smaller, versatile center, Harden credits Houston’s unique lineup with its success. He explained after Game 1:
Eric [Gordon] is able to do that, Austin [Rivers] is able to do that. We have a lot of guys who are able to dribble the basketball up. That’s the beauty of being small. As long as that basketball is hopping around and guys are getting driving lanes and open shots, we’ll live with the results.
Led by Harden, the Rockets were the NBA’s No. 2 scoring offense all season, and they were the No. 1 team in pace since the league’s July restart at the Disney World “bubble” in Florida. However, they were in the middle of the pack in net rating on defense. Moving forward, Harden is prioritizing that end of the court as Houston pursues a championship run.
Regarding defense and rebounding, Harden said:
It all starts with what I keep referring to with our defense. Offensively, even these past few games while we were in the bubble, we had the number one pace. Our speed and tempo is pretty solid. We’re going to have to rely on our rebounding, our defensive intensity, and our communication to be able to generate easier shots.
Obviously when our half court offense gets set, we can get pretty good shots off. I think in order for us to get even better shots, it’s going to have to be in transition — which I think we did a pretty good job of tonight.
Harden’s complete Game 1 highlight package can be viewed below.
Game 2 between the Rockets and Thunder will tip off at 2:30 p.m. Central time on Thursday afternoon. It will be televised nationally on ESPN and regionally on AT&T SportsNet Southwest.
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