Today in 2018: Rockets explode with 50-point quarter in playoffs

On April 23, 2018, James Harden and Chris Paul led Houston in a historic 50-point third quarter to grab command of Game 4 at Minnesota.

It was only fitting that one of the all-time great teams in Houston Rockets history had one of its greatest quarters in the playoffs.

On April 23, 2018, the top-seeded Rockets took a 3-1 lead in their first-round series versus Minnesota courtesy of a 50-point third quarter on the road. Houston went on to win Game 4 by a 119-100 final (box score).

It was the second-most points in a single quarter by any team in NBA playoff history, and it broke open a game that Houston only led by a point at halftime. Had Minnesota won, it would have tied the series and effectively made it a best-of-three. Instead, the Rockets grabbed a commanding lead and closed out the series at home in Game 5.

The 50-point total was one point shy of the all-time record for points in a single quarter in the NBA playoffs.

Rockets stars James Harden and Chris Paul had 37 points in the frame, representing their most combined points in any quarter as teammates. Harden, who was that season’s MVP, shook off an 0-of-7 start to Game 4 to score 22 in the historic third quarter on 7-of-10 shooting (70%).

“For myself and Chris, we had the mentality to be aggressive, make or miss shots,” Harden said postgame after finishing with a game-high 36 points. “That’s what we do. We shoot the basketball. Eventually, they’ll start falling. That’s what happened.”

Paul added 25 points, 6 assists, 6 rebounds, and 5 steals on 9-of-17 (52.9%) shooting. The Timberwolves were led by stars Karl-Anthony Towns and Jimmy Butler, who combined for 41 points and 24 rebounds.

At 65-17, the 2018 Rockets had the NBA’s best record in the regular season and the most wins of any Houston team in franchise history. They were dominant in each of the first two rounds of the West playoffs, as well, defeating the Timberwolves and Utah Jazz by 4-1 margins.

In the Western Conference Finals, they took three of the first five games from defending champion Golden State. But Paul was unable to play in Game 6 or Game 7 due to a hamstring strain, and the Warriors rallied to win that series in seven games. In the ensuing 2018 NBA Finals, they swept the Cleveland Cavaliers en route to a second straight title.

To this day, many around the Rockets still believe it should have been them — and moments like the historic third quarter by Harden and Paul in Minnesota are a big part of the reason why.

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