The Houston Rockets turned their matchup against the Oklahoma City Thunder into a series with a 107-100 Game 5 win on Wednesday night. The Rockets now trail 3-2 in the series with a chance to even things up at home on Friday. While it is unlikely that they come back, anything can happen with Russell Westbrook watching from the sidelines.
One of the most important plays in Game 5 came at the end of the third quarter, courtesy of James Harden. With 35.9 seconds left and the Rockets leading by nine, Harden let the ball roll all the way beyond half court before touching it. He then picked it up and quickly drained a three, leaving 33.2 seconds on the clock.
Kevin Durant made a basket on the other end of the court, but Harden’s smart play left Houston enough time to hit another shot before the quarter ended and extend their lead to 87-75. DeAndre Liggins clearly should have put some pressure on Harden to make him pick the ball up, but instead he just sat there and watched and helped give Royce White a reason to run his mouth after the game. We call that outsmarting the opposition.
