Steven Adams and the Oklahoma City Thunder are facing an uphill battle to reach the second round of the NBA playoffs, after falling to 0-2 in their best-of-seven series against the Houston Rockets.
On Friday (NZ time), the Rockets used a big fourth-quarter burst to grab control of game two and claim a 111-98 win at Disney World near Orlando.
Kiwi Adams finished the game with eight points and 11 rebounds, with teammate Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored a game-high 31 points.
The Thunder led 80-77 in the opening seconds of the fourth quarter before Oklahoma City went cold from the floor and the Rockets caught fire. Houston scored 17 consecutive points, including three 3-pointers by Jeff Green, to take control.
Oklahoma City missed eight consecutive shots during the spree and never came closer than eight points the rest of the way.
After hitting six 3-pointers and scoring 37 points in the series opener, Jame Harden was just 2 of 11 from behind the 3-point line. Luguentz Dort was a big part of the Thunder's success in slowing him down.
After missing the first game with a right knee sprain, Dort returned to the starting lineup and was the primary defender on Harden. In the two games between the teams this season where Dort has played, Harden is a combined 14 of 45 from the floor and 3 of 28 from behind the arc.
But while he wasn't hitting shots most of the game, Harden moved the ball around and kept his teammates involved. Danuel House added 19 points for Houston, while Green and Eric Gordon had 15 each among seven players in double figures.
After continuing their momentum from Game 1 with a 35-point first quarter, the Rockets' offense struggled in the second.
Houston was just 6 of 28 overall and 2 of 19 from behind the 3-point line in the second quarter.
But the Rockets were still able to stay within striking distance by taking care of the ball, with no first-half turnovers.
Through two games, the Rockets have attempted 108 3-pointers. In game two, they hit 19 of 56 from behind the arc.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led the Thunder with 31 points. Chris Paul struggled once again, going just 6 of 15 from the floor and scoring 14 points. Paul is 5 of 15 from behind the 3-point line in the series.
Reuters
