NBA PLAYOFFS
Fred Faour: 5 observations from the Rockets Game 2 win over Golden State
May 16, 2018, 10:42 pm
Eric Gordon played well. Jonathan Daniel
The Rockets looked more like the team we have seen all season and knocked off Golden State 127-105 to even the series at 1-1. Here are five thoughts on the Rockets win:
1) Balance, balance, balance: The supporting cast showed up in this one. PJ Tucker scored 22. Trevor Ariza had 18. Eric Gordon matched a team high with 27. It was not all on James Harden, Chris Paul and Clint Capela. A balanced Rockets team is dangerous.
2) Ball movement: The Rockets used ISO, but they also moved the ball and created mismatches. It made all the difference in the world.
3) One man show: Kevin Durant was a beast again with 38 points, but he had little help. Steph Curry scored 16 but on 7 of 19 shooting. No other Warrior hit double figures. Golden State simply did not do enough.
4) Getting defensive: The Rockets defense shut down Klay Thompson, who was great in Game 1. He scored just 8. They also bothered Curry again. Draymond Green was invisible. If the Rockets play defense like this, they can win the whole thing.
5) Great adjustments: Give Mike D'Antoni some credit for making the right moves. He changed things up, and the Rockets got a big win.
This is more like it. If the Rockets play like this, they can win at Oracle. If they play like Game 1? They come home down 3-1. We shall see.
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Oswald Peraza hit a two-run single in the ninth inning to help the Los Angeles Angels snap a three-game losing skid by beating the Houston Astros 4-1 on Saturday night.
Peraza entered the game as a defensive replacement in the seventh inning and hit a bases-loaded fly ball to deep right field that eluded the outstretched glove of Cam Smith. It was the fourth straight hit off Astros closer Bryan Abreu (3-4), who had not allowed a run in his previous 12 appearances.
The Angels third run of the ninth inning scored when Mike Trout walked with the bases loaded.
Kyle Hendricks allowed one run while scattering seven hits over six innings. He held the Astros to 1 for 8 with runners in scoring position, the one hit coming on Jesús Sánchez’s third-inning infield single that scored Jeremy Peña.
Reid Detmers worked around a leadoff walk to keep the Astros scoreless in the seventh, and José Fermin (3-2) retired the side in order in the eighth before Kenley Jansen worked a scoreless ninth to earn his 24th save.
Houston’s Spencer Arrighetti struck out a season-high eight batters over 6 1/3 innings. The only hit he allowed was Zach Neto’s third-inning solo home run.
Yordan Alvarez had two hits for the Astros, who remained three games ahead of Seattle for first place in the AL West.
Key moment
Peraza’s two-run single to deep right field that broke a 1-1 tie in the ninth.
Key Stat
Opponents were 5 for 44 against Abreu in August before he allowed four straight hits in the ninth.
Up next
Astros RHP Hunter Brown (10-6, 2.37 ERA) faces RHP José Soriano (9-9, 3.85) when the series continues Sunday.