NBA PLAYOFFS
Fred Faour: 5 thoughts on the Rockets 102-82 win over the Timberwolves in Game 2
Apr 18, 2018, 11:11 pm
Chris Paul bounced back with a terrific Game 2. Bob Levey/Getty Images
In Game 2 we saw the Rockets team that many believe can unseat Golden State. The Rockets overcame a bad first quarter, then started playing like a team that can win an NBA title. The result was an easy 102-82 win over the Timberwolves. The Rockets now lead two games to none in the best of seven series.
Here are five quick thoughts from the Rockets Game 2 win:
1) This is a bad matchup for Minnesota. The Wolves' best chance might have been in Game 1, when the Rockets could not hit 3s. When the Rockets play like they did Wednesday and get a big lead, the Wolves simply do not have the horses to keep up. Minnesota is a good young team, but they do not have the ability to match the Rockets' 3s with with 2s. Karl-Anthony Towns had all of 8 points in Game 1. In game 2? Only 5 points. He should be a mismatch the Wolves can exploit. He has been anything but and Clint Capela outplayed him in both games. Capela scored just 8 but on 4 of 6 shooting and had 16 rebounds to 10 for Towns. The Wolves can not win like that.
2) Jimmy Butler does not appear to be right. The Rockets defense was terrific on Wednesday, and Butler struggled for the second game in a row. He finished with 11 points on 3 of 6 shooting. He battled injuries late in the season and he did not appear to be 100 percent in either of the first two games. Unless he is healthy, the Wolves have no shot at even winning a game in this series.
3) Gerald Green was a game-changer. In the first quarter, the Rockets looked very much like they did in Game 1. They could not hit open 3s. They turned the ball over. They were incredibly lucky to be down just 23-18 heading to the second. Then Green entered the game, started draining 3s, and the Rockets outscored the Wolves 37-17 in the second quarter to take command of the game. Green had 12 points in the quarter and would finish with 21.
4) Star power shuffle. James Harden was terrific in Game 1, and Chris Paul struggled. This time, Harden could not buy a shot -- he was 2 of 18 for 12 points. But Paul was much better in Game 2 with 27 points, 8 assists and strong defense. The rest of the team stepped up, but the Rockets proved they could dominate with Harden shooting poorly as long as Paul showed up. He did.
5) 3-mendous. The Rockets will live and die by the three. In Game 1, they almost died, hitting just 10 of 37 (3 of 25 if your name was not Harden). They weren't great on Wednesday, but they hit 16 of 52 for 30 percent. The Wolves had just 5 3s. If that continues, this one is over in four.
This game looked more like what Rockets fans were expecting in the series. They were far from perfect, but pretty good is enough against this Wolves team. Neither team shot particularly well, and at times the game was downright ugly. The Rockets can be much better than this offemsively, and they still won by 20. Unless Minnesota has some tricks up its sleeve, it is hard to see this one going deeper than five games.
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Marcell Ozuna hit his major league-leading eighth homer and Orlando Arcia’s RBI single in the 10th inning lifted the Atlanta Braves to a 5-4 win over the Houston Astros on Wednesday.
It completes a three-game sweep of the struggling Astros and is Atlanta’s fourth straight victory.
The Braves scored two runs in the eighth inning to tie it at 4-4. Michael Harris II started the 10th as the automatic runner on second and there was one out in the inning when Seth Martinez (1-1) intentionally walked Matt Olson.
Ozuna lined out to right field to send Harris to third base. Arcia then singled on a ground ball to left field to score Harris and put the Braves on top.
Pinch-runner Jake Meyers was on second when Kyle Tucker walked with no outs in the 10th. Meyers moved to third on a fly out by Yainer Diaz but Jeremy Peña grounded into a double play to end it.
A.J. Minter (3-1) got the last two outs of the ninth for the win and Raisel Iglesias earned his fifth save.
Reigning NL MVP Ronald Acuña Jr. added his first homer of the season to help the Braves to the victory. Ozuna also leads the majors with 23 RBIs and he extended his hitting streak to 16 games, which ties his career best and is the longest active streak in the majors.
Yordan Alvarez and Mauricio Dubón both homered for the Astros, who fell to 6-14 and are last in the AL West.
There was one out in the first when Alvarez connected on his homer to the seats in left field to put Houston up 1-0.
Ozuna opened the second with his 432-foot shot to left field, which bounced off the wall and tied the game.
Acuña put the Braves up 2-1 when he sent the first pitch of the fifth inning to straightaway center field.
The Astros tied it on an RBI single by Alex Bregman in the fifth and Kyle Tucker’s RBI double came next to put the Astros up 3-2.
Dubón hit his first home run of the year off Jesse Chavez to start Houston’s sixth and push the lead to 4-2.
Harris singled to start the seventh before a ground-rule double by Austin Riley. Olson reached, and Harris scored on a fielding error by first baseman José Abreu when he couldn’t grab a routine ground ball.
There was one out in the inning when Riley scored on a sacrifice fly by Arcia to tie it at 4-all.
Houston starter J.P. France allowed four hits and two runs in five innings.
Max Fried gave up seven hits and three runs in five innings.
UP NEXT
Braves: Atlanta is off Thursday before opening a series against Texas on Friday night with LHP Chris Sale (1-1, 4.58 ERA) on the mound.
Astros: Houston is also off Thursday before ace Justin Verlander will make his season debut Friday night against Washington. The three-time Cy Young Award winner opened the season on the injured list with inflammation in his right shoulder.