NBA Playoffs 2017: Rockets vs. Thunder Game 5 live stream: Watch online
By Luke Norris
The Houston Rockets take a 3-1 lead back home with a chance to eliminate the Houston Rockets from the 2017 NBA Playoffs. Here’s a quick preview and the when, where and how you can watch Game 5.
It’s win or go home time for the Oklahoma City Thunder. Following a demoralizing 113-109 loss to the Houston Rockets in Game 4 on Sunday afternoon, Russell Westbrook and company head back to Texas with the hope that they can save their season. The Thunder used a blistering start to get ahead of the Rockets early in Game 4 but despite what Russell Westbrook said in his postgame press conference, the team once again faltered when he went to the bench at the end of the first quarter and let Houston right back into it. Even with James Harden struggling from the floor, Houston maintained their poise and stuck right with the Thunder, who finally got a nice game from Steven Adams, keeping the deficit to a minimum heading into the fourth quarter before turning it on and scoring 40 points in the final frame to seal the victory.
Harden may have struggled but the bench stepped up huge for the Rockets, outscoring the Thunder reserves 64-24, including 28 points from Nene, who went 12-for-12 from the floor, and 18 apiece from Eric Gordon and Lou Williams. Harden did play better in the fourth quarter, scoring eight points and knocking down a big jumper from the top of the key with 41.8 seconds remaining to give Houston a five-point lead and they survived a wild finish to take the 3-1 lead back home.
Russell Westbrook put up 35 points, 14 assists and 14 rebounds but shot just 10-for-28 from the field and made a few questionable shot choices late in the game. But he did hit a long three off the intentionally-missed free throw from Adams, which was brilliantly done by the way, and continues to be the only real weapon that the team has. There’s been some nice games from his supporting cast, but they’re struggling to get any consistent play from pretty much everyone besides Andre Roberson, who had another nice game on Sunday but just couldn’t make a free throw, a problem that cost Oklahoma City dearly. Let’s take a look at the projected starting lineups and how they’ve fared thus far in the series.
Houston Rockets
C-Clint Capela (7.5 points, 5.8 rebounds)
PF-Ryan Anderson (8.8 points, 5.5 rebounds)
SF-Trevor Ariza (7.3 points, 5.3 rebounds)
SG-Patrick Beverley (10.8 points, 5.8 rebounds)
PG-James Harden (33.0 points, 7.8 assists, 6.0 rebounds)
Oklahoma City Thunder
C-Steven Adams (8.3 points, 6.3 rebounds)
PF-Taj Gibson (9.8 points, 2.5 rebounds)
SF-Andre Roberson (13.8 points, 6.3 rebounds)
SG-Victor Oladipo (11.0 points, 5.8 rebounds)
PG-Russell Westbrook (35.0 points, 11.3 assists, 12.0 rebounds)