This is the kind of game OKC loves. Ugly, scrappy, close. The kind of game they can win, against a Rockets team I believe to be better, overall. Even getting that game, the Thunder still needed some help to win. Help they got, from the Rockets players, from Rockets shot selection, from Mike D’Antoni, and from the free throw line.
Let’s see if we can separate the game from the hot takes. I think the Rockets failed to win this game more than OKC took it.
- Tired Harden Makes Poor Decisions, Misses Westbrook Late
Without Russell Westbrook, the Rockets have at most one reliable shot creator, and two others who might or might not be up to the task in a given game.