Thunder even series in Game 4 as Rockets go cold again from 3

The Oklahoma City Thunder evened the series in Game 4 as the Houston Rockets went cold again.

Through the first two games of this first-round NBA playoff series, the Oklahoma City Thunder looked completely outmatched against the Houston Rockets‘ high-volume 3-point attack. Two games later, Houston’s dry spells have made this a series again.

Despite 32 points, 15 assists, eight rebounds and four steals from James Harden in Game 4, OKC tied things up at two games apiece on Monday as the Rockets went cold from 3-point range at the wrong time.

Dennis Schroder led the Thunder in scoring with 30 points, while Chris Paul chipped in 26 points and 6 rebounds. Harden and the Rockets were efficient from 3-point range overall, but what appeared to be a record-setting day from beyond the arc quickly spiraled into a head-scratching loss punctuated by a couple of clutch buckets from CP3.

What else did you miss in Game 4 between the Rockets and Thunder?

MVP: Dennis Schroder

Schroder was terrific off the Thunder’s bench in Game 4, tallying a team-high 30 points in 31 minutes. He shot a scorching 10-for-16 from the floor, made four of his seven 3-pointers and knocked down six of his seven free throws.

While Chris Paul played the role of closer down the stretch, Schroder had a clutch bucket of his own as the Rockets and Thunder kept trading blows, and his scoring presence off the bench proved to be the difference as Billy Donovan opted to keep him in the lineup late over Steven Adams.

Performances like this that speak to Schroder’s importance to this Thunder bench, as well as his status as a leading Sixth Man of the Year candidate. In OKC’s two wins of the series, Schroder has averaged 29.5 points per game on 51.3 percent shooting. In the Thunder’s two losses, he’s only managed 9.5 points per game on 33.3 percent shooting.

Strategic advantage: Having Chris Paul around for clutch buckets

This was a back-and-forth affair down the stretch, but ultimately, having Chris Paul around to knock down some clutch mid-range jumpers proved to be the difference.

The significance of CP3 making this shot, from that area of the floor, after being shipped out of Houston, and now facing his old team and the diametrically opposed strategy of Morey-ball? That kind of moment should not be lost on anyone:

https://twitter.com/NBAonTNT/status/1298027725857333248

Turning point: The roller coaster Rockets

The final box sheet will show the Rockets took an NBA playoff-record 58 3-pointers and made an incredible 23 of them (39.7 percent). Unfortunately, their hot shooting completely fizzled late in the second half, opening the door for Oklahoma City to tie up the series.

As has been the case for most of the series, when the Rockets are hitting their 3s, they’re truly exhilarating to watch. When they’re not, the variance between this team at its best and this team at its worst can feel akin to the big drop on a roller coaster.

In the third quarter, the Rockets went on a 14-2 run over the first five and a half minutes, going a perfect 8-for-8 from 3-point range. But then they went cold by the fourth quarter, going for a brutal 3-for-23 dry spell that gave OKC daylight.

Harden, who started his day with 15 first-quarter points on 5-of-6 shooting from beyond the arc, went on to finish with just 17 points on 1-of-9 shooting from deep over the next three quarters. Those cold streaks spell doom for a team that attempts as many 3s as Houston does, and that’s exactly what happened in Game 4. Series on.