NBA Cup Semifinal Rockets and Thunder: Clash of Defenses
The semifinal between the Rockets and Thunder was a basketball game, with elements of American football, rugby, hockey and probably even some wrestling thrown in.
LAS VEGAS — Midway through the third quarter of the NBA Cup semifinal between Oklahoma City Thunder and Houston Rockets On Saturday night, Thunder star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had just hit a short jumper in the zone and, to his delight, a timeout was immediately called.
I needed it.
He retreated to half court, crouched down, rested on his fingertips and took one deep breath after another. It was one of those nights. And given the way the Rockets and Thunder have defended all season, a game like that was predictable.
In the end, it was Oklahoma City 111, Houston 96 in a game where the teams combined for 41% shooting from the field. The immediate reward for the Thunder: two days of rest to recover. The biggest reward: a showdown with the Milwaukee Bucks on Tuesday night.
“That’s what defense does for you,” said Thunder coach Mark Daigneault, whose team has held opponents to 41% field goals or less 11 times this season — and has a record of 11-0 in those games. “It keeps you in the games.”
The semi-final between Rockets and Thunder was a basketball game, with elements of American football, rugby, hockey and probably even some wrestling thrown in. It wasn’t unusual. This is how they play: defense first, tough, brave, physical.
They are the two best teams in the NBA in terms of field goal percentage defense — Oklahoma City came in at 42.7%, Houston at 43.4% — and they started the night as two of the top three in scoring defense. Orlando led entering Saturday at 103.7 per game, Oklahoma City was No. 2 at 103.8, Houston No. 3 at 105.9. (The Thunder, by holding Houston to 96, edged out the Magic for first place on Saturday.)
Houston finished 36.5% from the field, its second-worst performance of the season. When the Rockets shoot 41% or more, they are 17-4. When not, they have a record of 0-5.
“Sometimes it comes down to making shots,” Rockets coach Ime Udoka said. “Especially in the first half, we defended well enough. But it puts a lot of pressure on your defense when you’re not shooting.”
Although scoring in the NBA is down slightly this season, roughly one point per game off last season’s pace and two points off the 2022-23 season’s pace, it’s still the golden era for offense in the NBA. league.
Saturday wasn’t like most games. The halftime score: Rockets 42, Thunder 41. Neither team crossed the 50-point mark until Dillon Brooks’ 3-pointer for Houston gave the Rockets a 51-45 lead with 8:46 left in the third quarter.
Brooks is generally considered one of the toughest defenders in the game. Gilgeous-Alexander is one of the best scorers in the game. They are teammates on Canada’s national team, and they had some one-on-one moments on Saturday.
“It’s fun. It makes you better,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “That’s what this league is about, competing against the best in the world and defensively, he is that for sure. And I like to think that about myself offensively. It gives me a chance to really see where I am.”
Indeed, he did. Gilgeous-Alexander finished with 32 points, the fifth time this season of someone scoring that many against the Rockets. He’s done it twice, and the Thunder scored 70 points in the second half to pull away.
“We knew if we kept stopping shots we would give ourselves a chance,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “And so we did.”
