2013 NBA Playoffs: Oklahoma City Thunder Defeat Houston Rockets in Game 2 105-102; Thunder Lead Series 2-0
By John Adair
In a game of runs, and many ups and downs for both teams, Oklahoma City showed why they were the top seed in the Western Conference. They defeated the Houston Rockets 105-102 to take a 2-0 series lead to Houston.
Kevin Durant had 29 points and 9 assist for Oklahoma City, but was just 10-of-25 from the field, including 2-of-9 from deep.
Russell Westbrook added 29 points of his own and made his presence felt at the defensive end on a night his shot wasn’t falling with 4 steals.
Serge Ibaka recorded a double-double with 12 points and 11 rebounds. Ibaka also had 6 blocks on the night.
James Harden struggled from the floor again, shooting just 9-of-24, but finished with 36 points, 11 rebounds, and 6 assists.
Patrick Beverley was the surprise of the night. In his first career playoff start, he flirted with a triple-double for much of the game. Beverly finished with 16 points, 12 rebounds, 6 assists, and 2 steals on 7-of-13 shooting.
Chandler Parsons had 17 points, but he was inefficient shooting the ball and only scored two points the entire second half.
Jeremy Lin did not play in the second half due to a muscle contusion in his right chest.
The Rockets outrebounded the Thunder 57-40, scored 20 more points in the paint than the Thunder, got to the free-throw line more frequently than the Thunder, and still lost. As simple as it is, this game came down to shot-making. Houston shot just 39.6% from the field, including 28.6% from deep. Oklahoma City shot 43.5% from the field.
In the end, the talent of the Thunder was just superior to that of the Rockets. The series heads into Houston for Game 3 with the Thunder leading 2-0.