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Rockets ride FTs, strong 2nd half to Game 2 win, draw even with CP3-less Clippers
The Houston Rockets have avoided an unmitigated disaster. Facing a nine-point halftime deficit and a potential 2-0 hole to the Los Angeles Clippers despite the absence of the injured Chris Paul, the Rockets finally started playing with a sense of urgency and worked their way to a 115-109 Game 2 win at the Toyota Center. Houston evened the series with a combination of their strengths — plenty of trips to the free-throw line and game-changing dribble penetration from MVP runner-up James Harden. It wasn't always pretty or fun to watch, but it was necessary to keep the series competitive.
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At the same time, the narrow result arguably represented a moral victory for the Clippers, who followed up their very surprising Game 1 win with another competitive performance on the road without their all-world point guard. Blake Griffin was masterful in the first half before losing steam and seeing better coverage in the second, and the Clippers appear in excellent position to take control of the series should CP3 be able to return for Friday's Game 3. The Rockets pulled out a necessary win on Wednesday, but the pressure is still on them to take a game at Staples Center and regain homecourt advantage.
During the first quarter, it looked as if the win would come a little more easily. Two days after failing to do much of anything well in a disappointing loss, Houston looked in control of the proceedings and ended the opening period with a 35-24 lead. Harden shot an adequate 2-of-6 from the field (including 0-of-4 on threes) but took five free throws to end the quarter with nine points. In a way, the attempt to score was more important than the scoring itself. Those numbers fell just seven field goals and one free throw shy of Harden's total attempts in Game 1, a positive indicator for the team's success. The Rockets approached the start of Game 2 with a plan they lacked previously, attacking the basket and creating opportunities. There was a mix of success (22 points in the paint) and failure (1-of-9 on threes), but it was a clear improvement. If not for 14 points from Griffin, the Clippers would have been in even worse.
The second quarter snuffed out whatever good feelings the first seemed to offer Houston. Los Angeles took the lead after less than four minutes of play and continued to roll from there, putting up 41 points on 16-of-21 shooting (4-of-7 from deep). Griffin made all six of his attempts in the quarter to finish with 26 first-half points, a new career high for a half. His play over the playoffs continues to be a revelation, a combination of scoring and facilitation from the power forward spot that we only really see when LeBron James plays there in a small lineup. With Griffin dominating, the Clippers didn't even seem to miss Paul. They had the superstar necessary to win a tough playoff game on the road.
It helped that the Rockets defense turned into a sieve, with perimeter defenders allowing many players to get to the hoop to open up good looks around the floor. Up until this point, the Rockets defense had not played with the necessary urgency for any sustained stretch of the series. Down 65-56 at the break, they looked in serious danger of leaving Houston without a win.
They started to regain control of the must-win game with copious trips to the foul line. Although Harden and Dwight Howard both picked up their fourth fouls over the first few minutes of the third quarter, the Rockets managed to manufacture points by entering the bonus after only 2:30 of play. The Rockets got to the line 21 times in the period (making 15 of them) even though Harden, the NBA's leader in foul shots this season, sat for roughly 8 1/2 minutes. The Rockets ended up at an absurd 42-of-64 from the line on the night (albeit with 21 attempts from the intentionally fouled Howard), enough to give them a consistent stream of points when they needed them most.
These steady trips to the foul line coincided with a dip in form from Griffin, who shot just 2-of-9 in the second half while being covered by Howard, Trevor Ariza (who fronted the post), and the occasional double team. It's hard to fault Griffin for the fatigue given all he has done for the Clippers in these two games without Paul (plus the previous series against the Spurs), but those struggles essentially doomed the Clippers on a night when many other key players struggled to score. Primary perimter threats Jamal Crawford and J.J. Redick combined to shoot just 9-of-32 on field goals and 3-of-14 from beyond the arc, and only DeAndre Jordan (16 points and 12 rebounds) really joined Griffin in having a quality offensive game.
Nevertheless, the Rockets still needed a terrific fourth quarter from Harden to put the win. He scored 16 of his 32 points in the final period to retake the lead and fend off several Clippers comeback attempts, including a late charge that cut the margin to 109-105 with 1:27 on the clock. Along with another fine performance from the rejuvenated Howard (24 points, 16 rebounds, four blocks), the Rockets closed out a very important win to give their season renewed life.
Yet their performances in these two games should cause significant worry about what might happen if Chris Paul is able to return for the rest of the series. The Rockets have impressed only occasionally and relied on a very tightly called second half to take the initiative on Wednesday. While certain problems like 5-of-26 three-point shooting might fall off with marginally better shooting, Houston was in prime position to win both these games with Paul unavailable. Instead, they struggled to a split and now must win a road game against what looks like a very confident Clippers team.
Game 2 was undoubtedly full of good signs for the Rockets. They will need many more of them on Thursday.
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Eric Freeman is a writer for Ball Don't Lie on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at efreeman_ysports@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!
