3/18 - 3/24 Rockets Games
- Jennifer Mazina
- Mar 25, 2018
- 12 min read
Updated: Apr 15, 2018
Rockets vs. Timberwolves
From what I thought was going to be a blowout, the game ended up being pretty close at the end, but of course the Rockets took the win! On March 18th, the second night of a back to back, the Rockets traveled to Minnesota to play against the Timberwolves who were 6th in the Western Conference standings. Jimmy Butler was out for the Timberwolves due to a knee injury. The Rockets starting lineup was Harden, Paul, Capela, Tucker, and Ariza. For the Timberwolves, it was Teague, Wiggins, Towns, Bjelica, and Gibson.
The Rockets received tip-off, but Towns from the Timberwolves was the one who scored the first 2 points of the game. It was a slow start for both teams, but the Rockets began to heat up with a nice pass from Harden to Capela for a dunk for their first points. The Rockets striped the ball and Ariza hit a corner 3 for their first made 3, and following that Tucker also hit a corner 3. Later on, Ariza went for another corner 3 and missed, Capela caught the rebound, and Harden passed to Capela for an easy dunk because no one was blocking him. Down the baseline went Ariza on the reverse and a finish. Since coming back from his injury, Anderson shot and scored his first points with a nice 3. At this point, the Rockets seemed to be dominating the Timberwolves because Green went to the rim for a score, and when the Rockets took the ball back he scored a 3. If that wasn’t wild enough, Anderson came in clutch with another 3 which practically doubled the score 32-17. With a second left in the quarter, Paul went for a fade away. The Rockets were up 38-23.
Green started off the second quarter with a drive and dunk. With only half a second left on the shot clock, Paul got a foul and shot and made all 3 shots which brought the Rockets to a 20-point lead. Anderson on fire with yet another 3, and he was 3 for 3 at this point. An amazing pass by Paul to Green who went down the baseline for a dunk, and he hadn’t missed a shot yet. At this point in the game, the Timberwolves were shooting 50%, but they still had a significant deficit because the Rockets were shooting 67%. Proving this, Anderson splashed a 3, and Paul pointed at the coaches without seeing that that 3 had been made showing to them that they made a good decision. The Rockets put pressure on the Timberwolves’ defense, and ran circles around them with how fast and accurately they were scoring. Harden already had a double-double with three minutes left in the quarter. Crawford was mostly the one who kept the Timberwolves in the game with his third 3. The quarter ended with a Rockets lead 77-56.
A foul was called on the Timberwolves while Harden went for a 3, so he got to shoot three free throws and he made all of them. The Timberwolves seemed to lose momentum while they turned over the ball for the 11th time, but the Rockets were still going strong. Paul knocked down a 3 for his first of the night. A goal tend was called on Capela. Gibson took his fourth foul which allowed for Paul to shoot free throws, and he made all three. Harden received his 11th assist and Capela went for another dunk. It was a huge quarter for Bjelica, and it was helpful for the Timberwolves that the Rockets seemed to have lost focus a little bit. With four minutes left, it was a 10-2 run for the Timberwolves. Gibson took on his fifth foul. Gordon came out to hit his first 3 of the night, and unlike Paul, he lost the ball going for a shot. The Rockets still had the lead 107-91.
The fourth quarter got wild to say the least. Paul went for a mid-range shot and scored. Dieng picked up a foul, shoved Paul who tried to get the ball, then Green shoved Dieng into fans in the front row, and the teams had to be separated before anything worse happened. Dieng and Green picked up a technical foul, but unfortunately Green was ejected from the game. This seemed to have fired up the Timberwolves because with nine minutes left, they took the deficit to only 9. Tucker went for a drive and score but an offensive foul was called so the score didn’t count. When the scores get close, Paul tends to go for more mid-ranged shots and that’s what he did. Following that, Harden went for a drive, crossover, and score. Tucker picked up his fifth foul. The next Rockets possession, Harden created a bad turnover and lost the ball which allowed the Timberwolves to take it to a 5-point game. With four minutes left, Rose had scored 14 points in the past fifteen minutes. Luckily, Ariza hit a corner 3 which took the lead back to 8. Tucker picked up his sixth foul and fouled out of the game. Harden then hit his second 3 of the night. With just four seconds left, a jump ball was called and the Timberwolves got it but it didn’t matter at that point. The Rockets made it harder than it needed to be, but won 129-120 for a complete sweep on the Timberwolves.
Rockets vs. Trail Blazers
Two of the hottest teams in the NBA battled each other on March 20th in Portland, Oregon. The Rockets played the Trail Blazers, who were 3rd in the Western Conference standings, for a very exciting game. The Rockets starting lineup was Harden, Paul, Capela, Tucker, and Ariza. For the Trail Blazers, it was Lillard, McCollum, Nurkic, Aminu, and Harkless.
The Trail Blazers got tip-off and scored the first 3 points of the night. Harden to the rim, got fouled for an and one which he made for the Rockets first 3 points of the game. Lillard pulled up over Capela for the 3 but he missed, and following that Harden pulled up over Nurkic for the 3 and made that. The first 9 points in the game for the Rockets were all from Harden. Harkless reached out on Harden while he went for a 3 creating a foul, so Harden shot and made all 3 free throws for a quick 12 points. With a bounce pass from Harden to Mbah a Moute, the Rockets took the lead by 1. Even though the center for the Trail Blazers was on Harden, he went for a one on one dunk. Aminu had 14 points with 4 3s made with just 1:20 left in the quarter. Gordon only made 1of 2 free throws, and Lillard got his second foul at the half court line and Paul made both. The Trail Blazers led 31-27.
Anderson started off the second quarter with a 3, and Paul shot a 3 for two in a row for the Rockets which took the lead over the Trail Blazers by 2. Following that, Mbah a Moute hit a wide-open 3 for their third in a row and their biggest lead of the night of 5 points, but then the Trail Blazers made a 3 taking the lead down to 2. McCollum tied the game at 38 points each. Halfway through, Harden came back in for a drive and score, and during another possession, Harden in isolation, made a 3 even though he got hit on the arm. With 3:30 left, Harden had scored the past 7 points for the Rockets. Gordon for a catch and release made a 3, Ariza shot 2 free throws but missed 1, Nurkic showed his length and size with a nice dunk, Paul shot a nice 3, and splash Gordon shot a wide-open 3. The quarter ended with a tie of 55-55.
The biggest lead between the two in the first half was only 6 points. Harden started of the third quarter with a 3, then crossed over Lillard, drew the foul, and made the score and one. Just like the first quarter, Harden made the first 9 points for the Rockets again this quarter. Harden in the paint, passed to Capela for a powerful dunk and an and one, but he missed. Harden then got an and one but missed the free throw as well. Ariza went for his first 3 but unfortunately missed. At the seven-minute mark, Lillard was 0 of 4 at the 3-point line. Ariza finally scored his first 2 points of the night which took the lead for the Rockets by 4, but then Aminu scored a 3 taking it back to a 1-point game. The Trail Blazers then proceeded to hit another 3 which took the lead for them again. Capela picked up his third foul, and Nurkic currently had four fouls. With four minutes left, they brought Green in to bring some magic to the game. The Trail Blazers were up by 7 with just two minutes left, but Green hit a wide-open 3 which took the deficit to 4. Right after that, Mbah a Moute hit a 3 as well and the Rockets were only down by 1. Paul tied the game at 83 with a free throw, but the Trail Blazers still kept the lead at the end 87-86.
Paul started off the fourth quarter with a 3, and Gordon hit a 3 right after for back-to-back triples. During a Rockets possession, Paul hit another 3. Mbah a Moute went down the baseline for a reverse layup and an and one which got the Rockets first to 100 points. With a reach in on Harden, Nurkic took his fifth foul. Tucker hit a corner 3 for his first points of the game. After passing up on an open 3 opportunity, Harden stepped back and fired a 3. This move is one of my favorites by him. Tucker got an offensive rebound, and Ariza hit an open 3 which took the biggest lead for the Rockets with two minutes left. The Trail Blazers double teamed Harden, but that didn’t stop him because he stepped right and hit the 3 with 42 points thus far. With only a few seconds left on the shot clock and a 2-point lead, Paul shot, missed, got hit in the throat but still managed to get his rebound. He made both free throws. The scores were close but not close enough because the Rockets closed out the game 115-111 which ended the Trail Blazers 13 game winning streak. The Rockets swept their road trip.
Rockets vs. Pistons
This game was just an all over hot mess, but the Rockets pulled through for the win. This was the Rockets first home game after coming off of a road trip. On March 22nd, they played the Detroit Pistons, who were 9th in the Eastern Conference standings. Paul sat out this game with some minor injuries. Starting for the Rockets was Harden, Gordon, Capela, Tucker, and Ariza. For the Pistons, Jackson, Bullock, Drummond, Johnson, and Griffin.
The Pistons got tip-off. Following that, Drummond got a foul, and Harden shot 2 free throws but missed 1 for their first point of the game. Capela drew a foul and missed both of his free throws. Tucker hit his first corner 3 of the night, but with eight minutes left, it was still a low scoring game for both teams. Capela had a little fire in his step because he hit back-to-back buckets which tied the game 8-8. Mbah a Moute hit his first 3 of the night. A jump ball was called and the Rockets got it, but their shot was blocked and instead, the Pistons scored. The Pistons quickly took an 8-point lead, but luckily Gordon scored which took it to 6. Another jump ball was called and this time the Pistons got it but they didn’t score. With just 4.7 seconds left, Gordon scored 2 points, but the Pistons ended the quarter with a lead of 27-21.
A back door play and score for Gordon to start off the second quarter, and then Johnson put it up and in which took the deficit to 2. Gordon hit a corner 3 tying the game 28-28, and the Rockets had scored the past 8 in a row with no point guard on the court. Anderson scored for an and one but missed the free throw, and following that, Drummond went to the free throw line yet again and missed 1 of the 2 after missing both his first time. Both teams were missing a significant number of free throws at this point. Gordon hit a 3 from WAY back which took the lead for the Rockets 35-33. The lead kept going back and forth as well as their being multiple ties between the teams. Johnson then tied the game back up again with a 3-point play, but the Pistons took back the lead by 4. The Rockets got a defensive violation and Griffin, for the Pistons, shot a free throw. There was great hustle by Green when he took the ball away, and then Harden scored for his first 2 points. For the first time, Harden went to the free throw line and made both, but the Pistons still ended the quarter with a lead of 50-48. The Rockets seemed to be sleepwalking.
Gordon started out the quarter with a 3 which took the lead for the Rockets by 1, and he currently had 15 points. Harden went for a 3 and a flagrant foul was called when he landed weird on Griffin’s foot, so Harden shot 3 free throws but only made 2. Later on, Ariza hit a corner 3. The Pistons took back the lead by 2 with a wide-open 3, but Capela tied it back up with a euro-step. At this point, Capela had a double-double. The lead still kept going back and forth between the teams. Johnson hit a corner 3, and the next possession Anderson drew a foul and only made 1 of 2 free throws. Both teams kept missing shots, but the Rockets ended the quarter 71-68.
The fourth quarter began with Green stealing the ball, and then Ariza hit an open 3 for their biggest lead of the night with 6 points. Gordon drew a foul and made both free throws, and the Rockets seemed to get their rhythm back a little with them having an 8-point lead at this point. Mbah a Moute had some left knee soreness so he was out for the rest of the game. Drummond had a double-double at this point as well. Green set up Johnson with a beautiful 3, and with seven minutes left and 20 points made so far, Gordon scored taking it to a 9-point lead. With a fresh 24, Ariza hit a 3. The Pistons picked up the pace and got back in the game because with two and a half minutes left it was only a 2-point game. The buzzer ending the quarter went off when the Rockets tried to make a shot, and they were tied 88-88.
Overtime started and the Pistons got the ball, but Griffin threw it away. A step back by Harden for 2 points, Tucker went for an open, corner 3 but missed, and then Drummond tied the game. Harden got an and one, then a step back for him except this time it was a 3, and right after that he drew a foul going for another 3 and made all 3 free throws which took it to a 6-point lead. Tucker tipped in Gordon’s shot which brought it to an 8-point lead with 21.4 seconds left. Harden drew a foul when the Pistons double teamed him, and he made both free throws. The Rockets won 100-96.
Rockets vs. Pelicans
The New Orleans Pelicans, who were 5th in the Western Conference standings, traveled to Houston on March 24th to take on the Rockets. Paul was out again with a hamstring injury, as well as Mbah a Moute with left knee soreness. Starting for the Rockets was Harden, Gordon, Capela, Tucker, and Ariza. For the Pelicans, Holiday, Liggins, Davis, Miller, and Moore.
Capela won the tip but a jump ball was called and the Rockets got the ball back. Harden shot the first 2 points of the game, and following that he went behind his back to Capela for a wide-open dunk. Davis scored the first 2 points for the Pelicans. The Rockets took a quick 8-point lead, and Ariza made his first 3 of the night. When Gordon ran out of room and when Holiday went to try to block him, Capela was wide-open and scored. Johnson was called for traveling. This quarter wasn’t super eventful besides the Rockets taking a huge lead of 29-16.
Gordon started the second quarter with a 3, followed by good defense when he stole the ball, and Anderson shot a 3 which took the lead to 19. Tucker went for a shot, missed, got the ball back, drew a foul for an elbow to the chops, and then Anderson drew a foul when he went to the basket and made both free throws. Tucker hit his first 3 in the corner with a 22-point lead for the Rockets. Green went all the way to the basket for a 2 and one. Capela struggling to get the ball in, stayed with it with a nice left-handed reverse and drew a foul, but he missed the free throw. The Pelicans stole the ball on a bad pass and Davis scored, but they were still so far behind the Rockets. Harden for a 3 from wayyyyy back and again from downtown the next possession for his 2,000th point of the season with less than a minute left. Another jump ball was called and the Rockets got it, and Gordon beat the buzzer with the 3. The Rockets led 64-37.
With four seconds on the shot clock, Harden put it up and in for the first points for the Rockets in the third quarter. Moore pushed Gordon in the back similar to what Green did the other night but not to the extreme, and Gordon shot a free throw. The Rockets turned over the ball a few times, but they still kept their pace up. Anderson knocked down a nice 3. The Pelicans definitely picked up the pace but they still were struggling to catch up. With a little over two minutes left, Harden took it back to a 17-point lead with an all alone 3. Capela had a double-double at this point for his 38th of the season. The Rockets picked the pace back up when Green hit a corner 3, and Capela got a nice block. The quarter ended with a Rockets lead 83-61.
In the beginning of the fourth quarter, Anderson went for a 3, it got stuck, so the refs called a jump ball. The Rockets got the ball, and Anderson went for a one-handed dunk which took the lead to 24. The Rockets were on fire! Green hit a 3, Capela got a 2 and one, missed the free throw for a 9-0 Rockets run until the Pelicans finally scored again. Black came into the game for his first time in a while, but never scored. Gordon hit his fourth 3 which took the Rockets to 100 points. Following that, Green hit a 3. With 1:57 left, a jumped ball was called yet again. The Rockets got it and Anderson scored a 3. The Rockets won 114-91 for their 59th win this season for a franchise record!
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