National Basketball Association
Preview
Oklahoma City at Houston
When: 9:30 PM ET, Friday, May 3, 2013
Where: Toyota Center, Houston, Texas
By SportsDirect Inc.
The Houston Rockets were all but given up on when they lost the first three games of their Western Conference playoff series against the Oklahoma City Thunder. Now Houston can even the best-of-seven matchup with a home win on Friday and put itself in position to become the first team to overcome a 3-0 deficit and win a playoff series. All the pressure is on the top-seeded Thunder, who are struggling without standout point guard Russell Westbrook.
Oklahoma City appeared headed to a four-game sweep of the Rockets. Westbrook was lost for the season with a knee injury in Game 2 and the Rockets staved off elimination with an impressive Game 4 victory. Another Houston win in Oklahoma City on Wednesday has created a lot of anxious moments for the Thunder. “We have good players that have been through this before,” Oklahoma City coach Scott Brooks said Thursday. “We know we have to play better. But we also know we’re up 3-2.” The eighth-seeded Rockets remain focused on making history after the back-to-back victories. “In our minds, still nobody’s giving us a shot,” forward Chandler Parsons said. “But it doesn’t really matter. It matters what we believe in that locker room and that we believe in ourselves.”
TV: 9:30 p.m. ET, ESPN, Fox Sports Oklahoma, Comcast SportsNet Houston
ABOUT THE THUNDER: Durant is averaging 38.3 points in three games since Westbrook was injured and Oklahoma City needs someone else to step up and help him carry the load. Durant tallied 36 points in Game 5 but was scoreless in the final quarter, a stanza in which Westbrook typically does a lot of the scoring. Durant is averaging 33.6 points but was just 1-for-8 from 3-point range in the Game 5 loss. “They don’t really care about anybody else on the team,” Durant said of Houston’s defensive strategy. “So when I have the ball, there’s like four guys guarding me sometimes and I’ve just got to make the pass. We didn’t make shots (in Game 5) but I trust that we’re going to make those wide-open ones.”
ABOUT THE ROCKETS: Houston standout James Harden scored 31 points and was 7-of-9 from 3-point range in Game 5 despite having a strep throat. The former Oklahoma City sixth man is averaging 26.4 points in the series. Forward Carlos Delfino and point guard Jeremy Lin are both questionable for Game 6. Delfino had his ailing left foot examined Thursday and his status will be firmed up in the hours before game time. “Carlos has got a lot of stuff going on in his foot,” Rockets coach Kevin McHale said. “He’s got bone spurs, he’s got a little fracture of a bone spur.” Lin has missed the previous two games with a chest injury.
BUZZER BEATERS 1. Houston has made 26 3-pointers in the last two games.
2. Thunder G Kevin Martin, the key player Houston gave up in the deal for Harden, is shooting just 30.4 percent in the series after having just three points on 1-of-10 shooting in Game 5.
3. Rockets C Omer Asik averaged 19 points and 12.5 rebounds in the back-to-back victories.
PREDICTION: Thunder 119, Rockets 114
Stats and Records
Team Comparison
| |
W/L |
Strk |
Home |
Away |
Day |
Night |
Div |
Conf |
| Oklahoma City |
63-24 |
L2 |
36-8 |
27-16 |
37-9 |
26-15 |
10-6 |
42-15 |
| Houston |
47-40 |
W2 |
30-13 |
17-27 |
2-4 |
45-36 |
6-10 |
26-31 |
Last Meeting
|
Oklahoma City |
Houston |
| Date |
Away |
Home |
Pts |
Reb |
FG% |
Pts |
Reb |
FG% |
| 5/1/13 |
HOU 107 |
OKC 100 |
100 |
43 |
41.9 |
107 |
42 |
47.2 |
Player Stats
| Points |
Player |
Total |
FG% |
FTM |
| Oklahoma City |
K. Durant
|
36 |
47.8 |
13 |
| Houston |
J. Harden
|
31 |
62.5 |
4 |
| Rebounds |
Player |
Total |
Off |
Def |
| Oklahoma City |
S. Ibaka
|
9 |
5 |
4 |
| Houston |
O. Asik
|
11 |
1 |
10 |
| Points |
Player |
Total |
FG% |
FTM |
| Oklahoma City |
K. Durant
|
2539 |
50.6 |
747 |
| Houston |
J. Harden
|
2155 |
43.6 |
719 |
| Rebounds |
Player |
Total |
Off |
Def |
| Oklahoma City |
S. Ibaka
|
704 |
259 |
445 |
| Houston |
O. Asik
|
1091 |
316 |
775 |