NBA Playoffs 2017: Rockets vs. Thunder Game 3 live stream: Watch online
By Luke Norris
Being down 0-2 is never a good thing but the Oklahoma City Thunder did play better in Game 2 than they did in the series opener. The problem is that they just didn’t play the full 48 minutes. They were more aggressive, better in the paint, better on second-chance opportunities and had the Rockets on the ropes but just couldn’t close it out. After getting blown out by 31 points in Game 1, they have to at least feel a little bit better about their performance on Wednesday night but at the same time, they can’t feel good about how they let one slip away, especially on the road.
Honestly, they just don’t have as many weapons, especially when it comes to the bench. Not only is Houston’s second unit a top-five defensive unit on their own, they’ve got guys like Eric Gordon and Lou Williams that can come in and score points in a hurry. James Harden doesn’t have to always be on the floor for Houston to win. In fact, the Rockets took their first lead when The Beard was sitting down. Oklahoma City doesn’t have that. They’re lost when Russell Westbrook is on the bench and I expect his minutes to increase. After playing just 34 minutes in Game 1, he upped it to 41 in Game 2 and it wouldn’t surprise me if he played close to 45 in Game 3.
Date: Friday, April 21
Time: 9:30 p.m. ET
Location: Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
Venue: Chesapeake Energy Arena
TV Info: ESPN, ROOT Southwest (territorial restrictions)
Live Stream: Watch ESPN app, FuboTV
Oddsshark.com currently has Houston has a three-point favorite. Expect the Oklahoma City crowd to be very loud and very intense on Friday night but will it be enough to get the Thunder back in this series? We’ll just have to tune in and find out, won’t we?
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