NBA PLAYOFFS
Rockets-Wolves Game 2 recap: Houston rolls 102-82 despite terrible night from Harden
Apr 19, 2018, 6:22 am
James Harden could not buy a basket in Game 2, yet the Rockets rolled on. Rockets.com
James Harden shot 2 of 18, Houston shot below 37% as a team, and the Rockets dismantled the Minnesota Timberwolves 102-82 to seize a commanding 2-0 lead in their round one playoff matchup.
The Rockets knew that in order to avoid another close call like Game 1 everyone would need to contribute alongside Harden. Planning, however, is different from execution, and Houston stumbled drastically out of the gate. Starting forward P.J. Tucker found himself in foul trouble early in the quarter, forcing him to sit in exchange for Gerald Green. The Rockets shot an abysmal 5-of-25 in the quarter, including a 2-of-9 three-point range effort. Harden’s performance was somehow even more worrisome, as he was 1-of-7 for the quarter. The Timberwolves pounded the inside and showed a relentless tenacity throughout the quarter, while shooting 9-of-23 as a team. What was most alarming was that it wasn’t Minnesota’s defense that was stifling the Rockets, it was simply awful shooting.
In a rare sub 20-point first quarter showing for the Rockets, it seemed like there was a justifiable cause for concern for the No. 1 seed. That was when the Houston team that posted 65 wins in the regular season showed up. Led by Green and Chris Paul, the Rockets went on a quarter-long rampage, out scoring the suddenly ice-cold Timberwolves 37-17. Harden remained in his slump, and stretched his cold streak to 1-of-12 before heading to the locker room. At the same time, Green had racked up 12 points in 14 minutes, on 4-of-7 from 3-point range.
Houston cruised to a victory from that point on, despite Harden’s individual shooting struggles. Eric Gordon continued his slow playoff start, shooting 3-of-13 for 9 points; however Paul and Green picked up the slack, contributing 27 and 21 points respectively.
The same could not be said for the Timberwolves, who were expecting a bounce back game from star center Karl Anthony-Towns after scoring only 8 points in game one. Towns fired out of the gate in Game 2, scoring 5 points in the first 6 minutes. Bizarrely enough, that would turn out to be the only points he would contribute. After an incredible collective first quarter, the Timberwolves went ice cold from the field. Forward Nemanja Bjelica led the team with 16 points, and was one of only three Timberwolves that scored in double digits.
Takeaways
This is not another Rockets playoff team of old.
Game 1 looked very reminiscent of the frustrating playoff Rockets we’ve all come to know; that being a one-dimensional offense where everyone on the team fades under the lights and Harden is forced to play hero-ball for 48 minutes. If Harden had performed like he did in Game 2 on any previous Rockets playoff team, the foregone conclusion would be that they lost. Instead, we watched as Paul and Green assumed command of the offense and soundly eviscerated a porous Minnesota defense. This comes on the heels of a 24 point performance from Clint Capela as well. In two games the Rockets have proven that they no longer live by the Harden and die by the Harden. And just wait until Gordon heats up and Ryan Anderson and Luc Mbah a Moute return.
The Timberwolves proved how perfect they need to play to win.
Minnesota showcased an aggressive penetrating offense in the first quarter, with driving layups and sharp shooting from mid range. They also succeeded in forcing Tucker into foul trouble, while holding the Rockets to 20% shooting from the field as a team. This was their opening haymaker, and it was a blow that still only secured a 5-point lead heading into the second quarter. If that was the best that Minnesota has to throw at Houston, the Rockets should wrap this series up on the road without issue.
Clint Capela has arrived
How do you follow up a 24 point, 12 rebound, 3 block performance against one of the elite big men in the game? Follow it up with an 8 point, 16 rebound game and force Towns to sit for all but 4 minutes in the second half due to his ineffectiveness. Capela has been a quiet force all season, overshadowed by a Hall of Fame point guard and a presumptive regular season MVP. The playoffs, however, are where basketball gets gritty and you need an inside presence to stay afloat. National broadcasters are going to talk about Capela like he’s just now performing at an All-Star level, but the truth is that he’s been doing it all season.
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Astros keep doing this, and it’s getting hard to ignore
Jun 25, 2025, 10:01 pm
While the rolling Astros have a week of possible World Series preview matchups against the Phillies and Cubs, it’s the Rockets who made the biggest local sports headline with their acquisition of Kevin Durant. What a move! Of course there is risk involved in trading for a guy soon to turn 37 years old and who carries an injury history, but balancing risk vs. reward is a part of the game. This is a fabulous move for the Rockets. It’s understood that there are dissenters to this view. Everyone is entitled to an opinion, including people with the wrong opinion! Let’s dig in.
The Rockets had a wonderful season in winning 52 games before their disappointing first-round playoff loss to the Warriors, but like everyone else in the Western Conference, they were nowhere close to Oklahoma City’s caliber. While they finished second in the West, the Rockets only finished four games ahead of the play-in. That letting the stew simmer with further growth among their young players would yield true championship contention was no given for 2025-26 or beyond.
Kevin Durant is one of the 10 greatest offensive players the NBA has ever seen. Among his current contemporaries only Stephen Curry and Nikola Jokic make that list. For instance, Durant offensively has clearly been better than the late and legendary Kobe Bryant. To view it from a Houston perspective, Durant has been an indisputably greater offensive force than the amazing Hakeem Olajuwon. But this is not a nostalgia trip in which the Rockets are trading for a guy based on what he used to be. While Durant could hit the wall at any point, living in fear that it’s about to happen is no way to live because KD, approaching his 18th NBA season, is still an elite offensive player.
As to the durability concern, Durant played more games (62) this past season than did Fred VanVleet, Jabari Smith, and Tari Eason. The season before he played more games (75) than did VanVleet, Dillon Brooks, and Alperen Sengun. In each of the last two seasons Durant averaged more minutes per game (36.9) than any Rocket. That was stupid and/or desperate of the Suns, the Rockets will be smarter. Not that the workload eroded Durant’s production or efficiency. Over the two seasons he averaged almost 27 points per game while shooting 52 percent from the floor, 42 percent from behind the three-point line, and 85 percent from the free throw line. Awesomeness. The Rockets made the leap to being a very good team despite a frankly crummy half-court offense. The Rockets ranked 21st among the 30 NBA teams in three-point percentage, and dead last in free throw percentage. Amen Thompson has an array of skills and looks poised to be a unique star. Alas, Thompson has no credible jump shot. VanVleet is not a creator, Smith has limited handle. Adding Durant directly addresses the Rockets’ most glaring weakness.
The price the Rockets paid was in the big picture, minimal, unless you think Jalen Green is going to become a bonafide star. Green is still just 23 years old and spectacular athletically, but nothing he has done over four pro seasons suggests he’s on the cusp of greatness. In no season has Green even shot the league average from the floor or from three. His defense has never been as good as it should be given his athleticism. Compared to some other two-guards who made the NBA move one year removed from high school, four seasons into his career Green is waaaaaay behind where Shae Gilgeous-Alexander, Anthony Edwards, and Devin Booker were four seasons in, and now well behind his draft classmate Cade Cunningham. Dillon Brooks was a solid pro in two seasons here and shot a career-best from three in 2024-2025, but he’s being replaced by Kevin Durant! In terms of the draft pick capital sent to Phoenix, five second round picks are essentially meaningless. The Rockets have multiple extra first round picks in the coming years. As for the sole first-rounder dealt away, whichever player the Rockets would have taken 10th Wednesday night would have been rather unlikely to crack the playing rotation.
VanVleet signs extension
Re-signing Fred VanVleet to a two-year, 50 million dollar guarantee is sensible. In a vacuum, VanVleet was substantially overpaid at the over 40 mil he made per season the last two. He’s a middle-of-the-pack starting point guard. But his professionalism and headiness brought major value to the Rockets’ kiddie corps while their payroll was otherwise very low. Ideally, Reed Sheppard makes a leap to look like an NBA lead guard in his second season, after a pretty much zippo of a rookie campaign. Sheppard is supposed to be a lights-out shooter. For the Rockets to max out, they need two sharpshooters on the court to balance Thompson’s presence.
For Astro-centric conversation, join Brandon Strange, Josh Jordan, and me for the Stone Cold ‘Stros podcast which drops each Monday afternoon, with an additional episode now on Thursday. Click here to catch!
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