Rockets vs Thunder: Westbrook's fumbles to Chris Paul's brilliance, here are the takeaways from Game 6
Underdogs Oklahoma City Thunder proved their fourth-quarter prowess and helped by some fumbles by Russell Westbrook, managed to win Game 6 104-100 against the Houston Rockets on Monday. This ties the series 3-3 and that means a final game on Wednesday that sees one of these two teams go through to the second round of the NBA Playoffs. Thunder have Chris Paul to thank for as his 28 points overshadowed James Harden's impressive performance.
This isn't the end for either of the teams as both sides will be wary of what to expect in the final. With Game 6 in the books, here are a few takeaways from the scintillating scrimmage:
Rockets lost their plot in fourth quarter
Despite the improved defense the Rockets showcased, there was no sense handing the ball to Russell Westbrook who looked pretty much out of it. The last three possessions should have been with James Harden. Call it classic planning failure or blame coach D’Antoni for it, but that call essentially saw the win being snatched from the Rockets.
Chris Paul: The player & the coach
It wasn't just the shots Paul took. Fifteen of his 28 points came in the fourth quarter, including eight of the Thunder's final 12. Adding to this was Paul calling the play and expertly guiding his team through the Rockets defense. Ideally, Dennis Schroder should have capitalized on the shots early on, but with the Rockets on a narrow lead, Paul's ploy was to just close the gap and rely on their three-pointer success formula to take the Thunder home.
A team effort by Thunder
It wasn't entirely a Chris Paul show as Gallinari (25 points), Dort (13 points) and Schroder (12 points) chipped in for Thunder and help force a Game 7. One of the fans summed up the game by calling the next encounter a "must-watch". His tweet read, "CP3 really got the chance to end Westbrook and Harden legacy. Westbrook about to lose to his old team and CP3 bout to get revenge on the rockets and Harden. This game 7 gonna be a must-watch. Still crazy to me that ppl really called CP3 washed."
CP3 really got the chance to end Westbrook and Harden legacy. Westbrook about to lose to his old team and CP3 bout to get revenge on the rockets and Harden. This game 7 gonna be a must watch. Still crazy to me that ppl rlly called CP3 washed.
— HTB ♨️ #BLM (@HenryTheBlasian) September 1, 2020
James Harden was brilliant, but the Rockets choked
And there's nothing else honestly. The start signaled a close game with both sides looking choppy. Plenty of shots were missed until Harden switched on to start nailing it for the Rockets. Even impressive was when he put his body on the line to hold Oklahoma from extending the lead. Westbrook's airball that almost went out of the court was pulled back in and had the Rockets won, that piece of work would have been the highlight of the game.
They led by six points with four minutes still left, and that's when Westbrooke's fumbles choked them.
What are your thoughts on the Rockets vs Thunder game?
