OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) The Houston Rockets are heating up from 3-point range, just in time to avoid playoff elimination and create some drama in their first-round series against the Oklahoma City Thunder.
After setting a franchise record for 3s in the regular season, Houston has steadily improved its accuracy over the course of the series against Oklahoma City before hitting 44 percent from behind the arc in a 105-103 victory in Game 4.
Still trailing 3-1, the Rockets are at least carrying some momentum into Game 5 in Oklahoma City on Wednesday night.
"It changes everything," said Chandler Parsons, who had 27 points and 10 rebounds in Game 4. "We know we can beat them now."
Houston came awfully close in Games 2 and 3, losing both by 3 points, before finally gaining some real traction during the third quarter on Monday night. Coming out of halftime facing a seven-point deficit, the Rockets outscored the Thunder 38-24 and led by as much as 13 during the period.
That opening stretch of the second half was under the microscope at Oklahoma City's practice facility Tuesday, the most glaring example of the Thunder's diminishing defense.
"We do not want to give up 30-point quarters, and we nearly gave a 40-point quarter," coach Scott Brooks said. "So, we just have to focus on being consistently defensive-minded because this team, they put so many 3-point shooters on the floor and we just have to just be really focused on guarding every possession and not having as many breakdowns."
Houston has been able to make a bigger dent in Oklahoma City's defense as the series has worn on, making just 22 percent from 3-point range in the opener and then improving to 29 percent and 32 percent before the Game 4 sharpshooting.
The Rockets have combined that with a 136-82 scoring advantage in the paint over the past three games, and coach Kevin McHale says there are no big changes to that game plan that have made the series competitive.
"Obviously they're a great offensive team, but we feel like we can score on anybody in the league," Parsons said. "We've had success scoring on them, so I think all our focus needs to be on defense and primarily (Kevin) Durant."
Durant has been the driver of Oklahoma City's offense since fellow All-Star Russell Westbrook was lost for the remainder of the playoffs prior to Game 3. Durant has become the primary ball-handler, attracting even more attention from the Rockets' defense.
He had 38 points on just 16 shots, making 12, along with eight rebounds and six assists in Game 4. Durant had 30 shots in Game 3, but made only 13 and finished with 41 points.
"Kevin's not going to get the 30 shots that everybody wants him to take because the other team does not want Kevin to shoot the 30 shots that people want him to take," Brooks said. "If he gets 30 shots one game, the next game a lot of teams aren't going to give you those same shots. They were throwing two or three guys on him, and I thought we did a good enough job to win the game."
Without Westbrook, the Thunder have been far less effective on the fast break, scoring just 15 points in the last two games after totaling 45 in the first two. Their points in the paint have also dropped off, with a series-low 22 in Game 4.
For Brooks, though, the bigger concern is on the opposite end of the court.
"We're working through some things, but we all know how to play defense," Brooks said. "That doesn't change no matter who you put on the floor."
Game 5 will be the first game in Oklahoma City since the full extent of Westbrook's injury was determined. He was hurt in Game 2 when Houston's Patrick Beverley lunged for a steal and slammed into Westbrook's knee.
"It's going to be fun. I'm looking forward to all the boos and stuff," Beverley said. "I understand the crowd is going to be amped up and I hope that's going to get us that much more focused."
Added McHale: "In the famous words of Bill Walton, `If they're cheering you in the opposing gym, you're doing something wrong.' I don't think they'll be cheering, so he must be doing something right."
It's uncertain whether Houston could get starting point guard Jeremy Lin back for Game 5. He missed all of Game 4, was ineffective in Game 3 and sat out the second half of Game 2 with a bruised chest.
"Today I felt better, I definitely felt better," he said Tuesday. "It's just time. It's one of those things where you just have to wait it out."
AP Sports Writer Kristie Rieken contributed to this report from Houston.
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) James Harden lacked the energy to get through a morning shoot-around. Then he found the strength to fill the Houston Rockets with life in a playoff series that had started to look hopeless.
Harden scored 31 points and sank seven 3-pointers while fighting flu-like symptoms, and the Rockets beat the Oklahoma City Thunder 107-100 Wednesday night to pull within 3-2 in their first-round playoff series.
Harden made the first seven 3s he tried and Houston led by as many as 16 to win its second straight, getting halfway to becoming the first team in NBA history to overcome an 0-3 series deficit.
"I just tried to go out there and give it all I had," said Harden, adding that he slept all day. "It was a win or go home, so I got some shots to fall and I just tried to not think about it."
The Rockets played without starting point guard Jeremy Lin for the second straight game because of a bruised chest muscle. Key reserve Carlos Delfino didn't play in the second half because of a sore left foot.
They still had plenty of offense, getting 21 points and 11 rebounds from Omer Asik and 18 points and five 3-pointers from Francisco Garcia. Patrick Beverley scored 14 and Aaron Brooks and Chandler Parsons chipped in 10 apiece.
"We just came out here and played pressure-free. Go out there and just hoop, that was our mindset going into the game," Harden said. "The same thing back at home: just go out there and hoop. We're an eighth seed. Nobody's expecting us to win. So just give it what we've got. Simple."
Oklahoma City eliminated half of Houston's big lead before managing to stymie its own comeback.
Apparently doubting they could overcome an eight-point lead on their home court without All-Star point guard Russell Westbrook, the Thunder resorted to intentionally fouling Asik - a 54 percent career foul shooter - with 5:33 to play. Asik went 8 for 12 from the line, extending Houston's lead to 101-92 with 3:53 remaining before Oklahoma City gave up the tactic.
Kevin Durant scored 36 points for Oklahoma City, which must now travel to Houston for Game 6 on Friday night. Durant was scoreless in the fourth quarter, missing all five of his shots, and picked up a technical foul with 22.5 seconds left for complaining to referee Bill Spooner.
"We was on our way back and then also the Hack-a-whatever-his-name-is," Durant said, forgetting Asik's name, "it kind of slowed the rhythm down a little bit."
Coach Scott Brooks said he was about to stop ordering the fouls against Asik if his team had made a shot on one particular possession. It didn't happen and the 7-footer from Turkey made him pay.
"Give him credit. He stepped up and made shots and made his free throws," Brooks said. "That's a strategy we don't use often."
Asik missed three of his first six free throws, and the Thunder continued fouling him intentionally even after getting within 98-92 with 4:12 remaining. Asik hit three of his next four and then blocked a shot by Thabo Sefolosha as Houston started extending its lead again.
Reggie Jackson contributed 20 points for the Thunder, who leaned heavily on Durant for a third straight game with Westbrook out for the playoffs with a right knee injury. Kevin Martin, Oklahoma City's sixth man who was acquired in a preseason trade for Harden, missed his first nine shots before making a jumper in the fourth quarter to finish with three points.
"They miss him everywhere. How would you not? He's one of the top players in the league," Houston coach Kevin McHale said. "They probably miss him in the locker room, miss him in shoot-around, miss him on the bus, miss him on the plane, miss him on offense, miss him on defense. Did I miss anything?"
The Rockets made a series-high 14 3-pointers on 35 attempts, making up for getting outscored in the paint, in second-chance points and on the fast break. Oklahoma City made just 8 of 33 from 3-point range, missing 14 of its first 15 attempts.
Beverley, who made a lunging attempt at a steal in Game 2 that resulted in the knee injury that knocked out Westbrook, received a hearty boo during pregame introductions, then got booed again each time he touched the ball.
Undeterred, he drove against Jackson for the first basket of the game and the Rockets got out to a strong start. Beverley was called for a technical foul for thrusting his left forearm into Jackson after the Thunder guard made a steal attempt similar to the one that ended up with Westbrook getting hurt.
"My teammates told me to come out here and stay aggressive. This is a family unit with this team," Beverley said. "I tried to not hear the boos and tried to go out and stay focused on the game plan today."
Durant hit the free throw after Beverley's technical to complete a string of eight straight Oklahoma City points and put the Thunder up 17-16 but Houston responded with its own 8-0 run and wouldn't trail again.
NOTES: Westbrook watched the game from a suite. He was unable to be on the bench because his leg needed to be extended. ... With the clock running down at the end of the game, McHale told Harden to "go ahead and shoot it if you like," but Harden opted to take the shot-clock violation. Derek Fisher popped in a 3-pointer for Oklahoma City at the final buzzer.
THE FACTS: No team in NBA history has ever been able to climb out of an 0-3 hole to win a seven game series and the Houston Rockets are still a long way from rewriting the history books but they took a big step toward that goal with a 107-100 win over the Thunder in Oklahoma City. OKC still leads the series 3-2 and can close it out with a win Friday in Houston, but all the momentum appears to be with the Rockets now after winning two straight.
Former Thunder sixth man James Harden blistered his old teammates from beyond the arc where he was 7-for-9 and finished with 31 points and eight rebounds. Harden was sick this morning and did not participate in the Rockets shoot around so he could stay in his hotel room to rest up. All five Rockets starters got into double figures, center Omer Asik had 21 points and 11 rebounds, 13 of those points came at the free throw line in critical moments in the fourth quarter. Francisco Garcia added 18 points and made five 3-pointers. Rookie Patrick Beverley, booed every time he touched the ball by the Thunder crowd, scored 14 points and pulled down eight rebounds.
Nothing went right for Oklahoma City. The offense was anemic and the defense was ineffective. Kevin Durant had another big night with 36 points while also handing out seven assists and grabbing seven rebounds but he had very little help for much of the game. In fact until late in the third quarter Durant was the only Thunder player in double figures. Then in the fourth quarter when some of his teammates started to score, Durant came up empty, going 0-for-5 in the fourth quarter. Backup point guard Reggie Jackson, forced into the starting role with the knee injury to Russell Westbrook, scored 20 points (11 in the fourth quarter) and Serge Ibaka added 14 and nine rebounds.
Houston's defense held the Thunder to just 41.9 percent shooting. OKC missed 25 3s and eight free throws.
QUOTABLE: "Well the good news is we're up 3-2. They've won the last two games and we won the first three. It wasn't the way we wanted to start the game but they played lights out. We have to be able to match up in transition we have to do a better job of that."
QUOTABLE II: "I tried to give it all I had, I slept all day so I'd have enough energy. I means a lot, it was win or go home. It's a gutsy win for us and now we have an opportunity at home in Game 6 and we're gonna try to take advantage of it."
THE STAT: Thunder sixth man Kevin Martin, acquired from Houston in the Harden trade, had one of his worst nights as a pro scoring just three points on 1-for-10 shooting (0-for-5 on 3s).
TURNING POINT: The Rockets led by as many as 16 points and every time the Thunder tried to make a run the Rockets answered it with a flurry of their own. A 37-point third quarter for Houston kept the game comfortable for the visitors. In the fourth quarter when the Thunder got the margin down to single digits Brooks started fouling Asik (a 58.8 percent free-throw shooter in this series) but Asik came through and finished 13-for-18 at the stripe.
QUOTABLE III: "He did a great job hitting his free throws, Scotty went with the, what would that be called 'hack-a-Turk' and he [Asik] was great. With this group they fight, they're battlers. I'm really proud of these guys."
HOT: Harden was 4-for-5 (3-for-3 on 3s) for 11 points in the first quarter...Durant was 6-for-11 (18 points) in the opening half...OKC had 10 blocked shots in the first half...Harden hit his first seven 3-pointers.
NOT: Martin was 0-for-6 (0-for-4 on 3s) through the first 19 minutes of the game...OKC was 1-for-12 (8.3 percent) on 3-pointers in the first half and 16-for-39 (41 percent) overall...The Thunder finished just 8- for-33 (24.2 percent) on 3-pointers.
INSIDE THE ARENA: The 110th consecutive sell-out inside Chesapeake Energy Arena welcomed Beverley with boos when he was introduced and every time he touched the ball during the game. Westbrook was lost for the rest of the season to a knee injury when Beverley crashed into him while going for a steal in Game 2. Westbrook was at the game tonight and received a standing ovation when he was shown on the arena video board watching the game from a luxury suite.
GOOD MOVE: McHale again started Garcia at forward, mostly for his defensive ability in guarding Durant but Garcia had a big first half on offense for Houston scoring 14 points on 5-for-9 shooting (4-for-8 on 3s).
BAD MOVE: In an interesting twist Jackson ran up on Beverley to go for a steal just as Beverley was trying to call timeout. Beverley threw an elbow at Jackson right in front of official Bill Spooner, who hit Beverley with a technical foul.
BAD MOVE, TOO: The Thunder did not come out with the defensive intensity you'd think they'd have in a close-out game at home. OKC allowed the Rockets to score 30 points and shoot 54.5 percent in the first quarter.
QUOTABLE IV: "We have to forget about this, we have a quick turnaround and we have to be able to bring more energy on defense. We can't give em confidence to start the game."
NOTABLE: Rockets forward Carlos Delfino did not return from the locker room in the second half after suffering an injury to his left foot. He's being listed as day-to-day.
UP NEXT: Game 6, Friday @ Houston, Game 7 (if necessary) Sunday @ Oklahoma City.