NBA Playoffs 2017: 5 things we learned from the Rockets beating the Thunder

4. The Houston bench is fantastic

With all of the talent the Houston Rockets have in their starting lineup with James Harden and company, the bench won this series. Harden had some great games in this series but struggled shooting the basketball. Patrick Beverley had three very nice games offensively but the trio of Nene, Eric Gordon and Lou Williams were phenomenal. The Rockets were fifth in the NBA in bench scoring in the regular season, averaging 39.5 points per game, trailing only the Los Angeles Lakers (47.1), Brooklyn Nets (45.6), Denver Nuggets (40.3) and Philadelphia 76ers (39.7…trust the process). Lou Williams, who obviously was a big reason why the Lakers were at the top of that list, led the bench in scoring at 18.8 points per game, shooting 47.8 percent (32-67) from the floor while his fellow Sixth Man of the Year candidate Eric Gordon added 13.6 points per contest.

While the two outside threats were great, the real difference maker in this series was Nene. He had the same average as Gordon at 13.6 points per game, while also adding 6.6 rebounds, but he shot an incredible 28-for-33 from the floor (84.8 percent) and always seemed to be in the right place at the right time. He scored a team-high 28 points in the critical Game 4 win, making all 12 of his shots on a night when Harden struggled, and is playing some of the best basketball of his 15-year career. The Houston bench is leading all playoff teams with 46.8 points per game and will certainly be a big factor as the Rockets venture into the second round.