OKC Thunder vs Houston Rockets: Game 2 preview

Apr 16, 2017; Houston, TX, USA; Houston Rockets guard Eric Gordon (10) shoots the ball as Oklahoma City Thunder forward Jerami Grant (9) defends during the third quarter in game one of the first round of the 2017 NBA Playoffs at Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 16, 2017; Houston, TX, USA; Houston Rockets guard Eric Gordon (10) shoots the ball as Oklahoma City Thunder forward Jerami Grant (9) defends during the third quarter in game one of the first round of the 2017 NBA Playoffs at Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports /
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Apr 16, 2017; Houston, TX, USA; OKC Thunder guard Russell Westbrook (0) dribbles the ball during the second quarter against the Houston Rockets in game one of the first round of the 2017 NBA Playoffs at Toyota Center. Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 16, 2017; Houston, TX, USA; OKC Thunder guard Russell Westbrook (0) dribbles the ball during the second quarter against the Houston Rockets in game one of the first round of the 2017 NBA Playoffs at Toyota Center. Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports /

After getting blown out in game one, the OKC Thunder look to bounce back in game two versus the Houston Rockets and even up the series.

Series: Rockets 1-0

Game 1

The OKC Thunder were blown out in game one versus the Houston Rockets, losing by a score of 118-87. It was not a very good look at all, but they kept it close for most of the game. After the half, the Rockets started making their shots and pulled away for victory.

One bright spot from the game was Andre Roberson. Roberson poured in 18 points, but after him and Russell Westbrook, nobody showed up. Victor Oladipo put up a measly 6 points and could not get going on either end of the court.

One surprising stat from game one was that the Rockets out-rebounded the Thunder; rebounding is one of the few statistics the Thunder rank in as number one in the league. Oklahoma City also shot better from three over the Rockets, something they rank last in the NBA in.

Game 2

Tonight’s game will be played on TNT at 8pm EST. Obviously, the Thunder need to play better basketball in order to win Wednesday night. Two things that must improve is rebounding and getting help from everyone.

MUST READ: Five adjustments the Thunder can make in Game Two

The OKC Thunder must have more people step up if they expect to have any chance in this series.

X Factor

The X Factor in this game is Victor Oladipo. Oladipo must show up and contribute this game if the Thunder stand any chance in this game. Scoring six points is not very acceptable for a guy who is making over 80 million dollars starting next season.

Steven Adams must also show up. Although he is not a big scoring guy, scoring six points and getting man-handled down low by Nene and Clint Capela is not good enough.

Keys

The keys to winning game two is:

  • Russell Westbrook
  • Rebounding
  • Shooting
  • Help

Obviously we know Russell Westbrook needs to play a good game. He did not play that well in game one. Scoring 22 points, 11 rebounds and 7 assists but shooting only 6/23 from the field. Westbrook must be more efficient and take better shots in game two.

Related Story: Five takeaways from game one

Rebounding is a huge key to winning. Being out-rebounded in game one by 15 rebounds will not translate to wins. Being ranked as the top team in the NBA for rebounding, I expect the Thunder to rebound more in game two.

More from Thunderous Intentions

Shooting will be a big key as well. Other than Roberson, the Thunder could not get much going on offense in game one, scoring only 87 points. Thunder have to score in order to compete with the Rockets.

Helping Westbrook is something that has always been up and down. If Westbrook gets help, the Thunder can win against any team. He did not have much help in game one, so game two should be better. Oladipo must step up as well as other players in order to win.

Overall

Overall, the Thunder can’t do much worse than what they did in game one, so game two should be a better game. If the Thunder can improve their offense, defense and rebounding it could translate to a Thunder win and a series tie up heading back to OKC for games three and four.