National Basketball Association
Oklahoma City 119, Houston 107
When: 6:00 PM ET, Saturday, August 22, 2020
Where: The Field House, Orlando, Florida
Officials:
#16 David Guthrie, #14 Ed Malloy, #40 Leon Wood
Attendance:
0
By Field Level Media
Chris Paul drilled a 3-point heave as part of a 12-0 run to open overtime, and the Oklahoma City Thunder beat the Houston Rockets 119-107 in Game 3 of a Western Conference first-round series Saturday at the ESPN Wide World of Sports complex near Orlando.
Paul finished with 26 points, six rebounds and five assists, as a three-guard lineup worked wonders for Oklahoma City, which now trails the series 2-1 with Game 4 set for Monday.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander added 23 points, seven rebounds and six assists, while Dennis Schroder scored a team-high 29 points off the bench along with five rebounds and five assists. Danilo Gallinari added 20 points and seven boards for the Thunder.
James Harden posted a game-high 38 points, seven rebounds and eight assists with just one turnover but fouled out for the first time this season when he picked up his sixth foul with 4:07 left in overtime. The Rockets responded with an 0-of-7 start from the floor in the extra period.
Jeff Green paired 22 points with seven boards off the Houston bench, while Eric Gordon scored 18 points but missed 16 of 24 shot attempts. The Rockets shot just 15 of 50 on 3-pointers.
Paul missed a reverse layup attempt at the buzzer to end regulation, closing a wild sequence that capped the fourth quarter. Gilgeous-Alexander drilled a corner 3-pointer with 13.8 seconds left that gave the Thunder a 104-103 lead. Danuel House Jr., who helped off Gilgeous-Alexander and surrendered the open look, sank a free throw with 9.5 seconds left to knot the score and force the overtime.
Green and P.J. Tucker sank 3-pointers down the stretch for Houston, both off Harden assists. Schroder and Paul countered in the final moments, with Paul assisting on Gilgeous-Alexander's deep shot.
Oklahoma City survived an opening salvo from the Rockets, rallying from a 2-for-14 shooting start and 12-point deficit by making four straight shots, including three 3-pointers.
The Rockets led 29-23 entering the second but struggled to defend without fouling, sending the Thunder to the line 13 times in the first.
Oklahoma City added eight additional free throw attempts in the second quarter but closed the half 12 of 21 from the line.
Gilgeous-Alexander reeled off seven consecutive points to pull the Thunder to within 41-39, but Harden recorded the final seven points of the half for the Rockets after Oklahoma City cut the margin to 56-55.
--Field Level media
Top Game Performances
| Houston |
|
Oklahoma City |
|
James Harden 38 |
Scoring |
Dennis Schroder 29 |
|
James Harden 8 |
Assists |
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander 6 |
|
Danuel House Jr. 10 |
Rebounds |
Steven Adams 13 |
|
James Harden 11 |
Free Throws Made |
Danilo Gallinari 8 |
|
Robert Covington 2 |
Steals |
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander 4 |
|
Eric Gordon 3 |
Blocks |
Luguentz Dort 3 |
Team Stats Summary
| Team |
Points |
FG% |
3PM-3PA |
FTM-FTA |
Assists |
Rebounds |
Blocks |
Steals |
Turnovers |
| Houston
|
107 |
41.3 |
15-50 |
16-23 |
14 |
46 |
6 |
9 |
16 |
| Oklahoma City
|
119 |
44.6 |
14-41 |
23-34 |
20 |
54 |
6 |
8 |
18 |
Upcoming Games
-
Oklahoma City will play their next game at home against Houston. The Thunder have a W/L % of .591 after a win and .643 after a loss.
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Houston will play their next game on the road against Oklahoma City. The Rockets have a W/L % of .644 after a win and .556 after a loss.
For more information, contact us