OKC Thunder drop game two to Houston Rockets

The OKC Thunder lost in heartbreaking fashion to the Houston Rockets in Game Two. Playing a better game was not enough as the Rockets win 115-111.

Series: Rockets 2-0

Unfortunately, the OKC Thunder walk away from game two with a tough loss to the Houston Rockets. The final score was 115-111.

Russell Westbrook was historic like always. He put up the first 50 point triple double in NBA playoff history. His final stat line was 51 points, 10 rebounds and 13 assists. Westbrook also shot 17 of 43 from the field.

The story of the game was no help again. Westbrook had a little more help this game overall, but when it mattered nobody was there to help.

One pretty mind boggling stat from game two was this one.

Also during the final 2 minutes and 30 seconds that Westbrook sat in the third quarter, the Rockets went on a 12-3 run to cut the lead to three points.

Westbrook also had something to say about his stat line in the loss.

We can clearly see that Westbrook wanted the win.

Only three other Thunder players scored in double figure. Andre Roberson with 12 points and Victor Oladipo and Doug McDermott with 11 points.

What Went Wrong?

Obviously, the OKC Thunder lost. There’s no way around that, but some things needed to be better. You can’t have one guy taking all the shots. Westbrook is a great player, yes, but taking 43 shots can sometimes shoot your team out of the game.

Oladipo did not have another good shooting night and when the Thunder needed him most, he didn’t deliver. Shooting 23% from three will not translate to any wins either. The Rockets shot 38% and made their shots and threes when they mattered the most.

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Playing a 12 man rotation versus an 8 man rotation like the Rockets played a factor. Come playoff time, coaches must trust a good solid 8-9 guys. Donovan experimented with a bunch of guys and that may have hurt them.

Not playing McDermott more was a mistake as well. McDermott scored 11 points in only 12 minutes. Kyle Singler played 10 minutes and score 0 points. I understand that Singler may be better on defense over McDermott, but the Rockets are certainly not a defensive powerhouse and you need to match fire with fire.

What Went Right?

Some things went wrong but some things did go right. The Thunder did play much better defensively this game. Oklahoma City held the game close all night versus half the game in game one. Playing better on offense was an obvious plus as well. In game one the Thunder score 87 points.

The rebounding was much better. In game one, the Rockets out-rebounded the Thunder by 15. In this game, the Thunder out-rebounded the Rockets by 11. This helped cause more fast breaks and cause less second chance points from the Rockets.

Related Story: Five takeaways from the Game One loss

Russell Westbrook was also another thing that went right. He had a bad fourth quarter, but was the only reason the Thunder were even in the game. Scoring 50 points is no easy feat.

One thing I did notice early on in the game was Billy Donovan channeling his inner Bob Huggins and using a full-court press on James Harden. He went away from it later in the game, but I think he should use it more in game three.

What Can Improve?

Some things can improve. The Thunder had multiple chances to win this game tonight.

One thing that can improve is help and bench scoring. As mentioned earlier in the article, the Thunder were dismal when Westbrook was off the floor.

One person that needs to change this is Oladipo. He has only scored 20 points the whole series. Oladipo must score more points and score more efficiently if the Thunder want a chance in this series.

Along with Oladipo is Adams and Kanter. Kanter did not play much this game but he only had 4 points and 1 rebound. Adams had 5 points and 7 rebounds.

Kanter has been a liability in this series because of defensive purposes, but when he does play, he needs to contribute more to off-set his defensive liabilities.

Shooting has to improve. Shooting 41% from the field and 23% from three will not translate to wins on many nights. Especially against top Western Conference teams.

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Everyone needs to improve their shooting in order to have a chance in game three.

Outlook

The Thunder head back to OKC for games three and four. Playing on their home court should bode well for a young playoff team; the Thunder were one of the worst teams on the road in the NBA this season.

Stealing a win on the road would have been huge, but if the Thunder can take their positives from game two and build on them, I would not be surprised if the Thunder even up the series in OKC.

Game three will be played Friday in OKC at 9:30pm EST on ESPN. The Thunder are 2.5 point favorites at the moment.

Keep it plugged here for any additional news between now and game three.