” I believe we were all in attack mode trying to get into the paint,” Harden said of Houstons offense, led by a 19-of-48 proving (39.6%) on 3-pointers. “Get into the teeth of their defense and get shots for our group. And people made shots. It was simply attack mode on both ends of the flooring.”
” Dorts a terrific defender, however his aggressiveness sometimes gets the finest of him,” stated Robert Covington, who had 22 points and seven rebounds on 6-of-11 shooting (54.5%) on 3-pointers. The Rockets were a +36 in Covingtons 31 minutes, which was the finest of any gamer in the video game.
All-Star guard and MVP finalist James Harden took plenty of criticism after Houstons Video game 4 loss to Oklahoma City on Monday. He made up for it in a historic 114-80 victory (box rating) by the Firecrackers in Game 5, which made for the most significant playoff win by margin in franchise history.
Harden had 31 points and five assists in just 28 minutes, since he didnt have to complete out Saturdays game due to ball game. He made 11-of-15 shots (73.3%) in general, consisting of 4-of-8 on 3-pointers (50.0%), and Houston was +28 in the minutes with Harden on the flooring.
While Harden was rather kept in check earlier this series by Lu Dort of the Thunder, the rookie postured little resistance to Harden in Game 5. Dorts 3-of-16 shooting efficiency (18.8%) also limited him to simply 23 minutes, since he became a major liability on offense.
” We made use of that a little bit, and the main point is weve just got ta hit [Dort] and continue to get James open,” Covington said. He continued:
” I believe we were all in attack mode attempting to get into the paint,” Harden stated of Houstons offense, led by a 19-of-48 showing (39.6%) on 3-pointers. James has actually been doing a fantastic job of discovering guys and making the right plays. I asked Robert Covington about #Rockets setting screens at specific angles or re-screening for James Harden to release him from Dorts aggressiveness in battling over/under screens.” I believed tonight we did it defensively,” Harden said.” James played excellent,” Rockets head coach Mike DAntoni stated of Harden following Game 5.
Photo gallery: Game 5, Houston Rockets vs. Oklahoma City Thunder
” James played excellent,” Rockets head coach Mike DAntoni said of Harden following Game 5. “Under control, going to the hole. Shot the ball very well. Efficient, and thats what James does. Hes one of the finest, most efficient gamers in the league.”
Harden and the Rockets will have a chance in Monday nights Game 6 to clinch the series and advance to the 2nd round.
Either theyre going to require the switch or its going to open something else. James has been doing a fantastic job of finding people and making the right plays. Just got ta stay with the gameplan and continue to work in that.
Lu Dort defensive ranking and net score by game:
Game 2: 108 DRTG, +5.7 net ranking
Game 3: 79 DRTG, +10.1 net score
Video game 4: 120.8 DRTG, -10.5 net ranking
Video game 5: 128.6 DRTG, -52.6 net score
Yeah, people … I do not think he is having such a terrific impact anymore.
— Disney Gary Clark (@Itamar1710) August 30, 2020
I asked Robert Covington about #Rockets setting screens at particular angles or re-screening for James Harden to free him from Dorts aggressiveness in battling over/under screens.
— Alykhan Bijani (@Rockets_Insider) August 30, 2020
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” I thought tonight we did it defensively,” Harden said. “We were active. We were engaged, particularly because 2nd half, from the beginning.”
In his postgame comments, Harden appeared most excited by his teams defense– which restricted the Thunder to just 35 points in the 2nd half. Houston outscored OKC by a 66-35 margin after halftime.
