West Conf. Semis - Game 5: Utah Jazz 102-112 Houston Rockets - 5 Talking Points

#3 PJ Tucker picked up James Harden's slack on offense

Tucker came up big

The Rockets were stuck in a scoring quagmire for much of the first half, as they finished with just 21 points through the first quarter. Much of the explanation for this are the struggles that James Harden had in shooting on the night.

Harden did finish with 18 points to add to his scoring kitty, but they came in ugly fashion off 22 shots, featuring only 7 makes. His floaters were off, he turned the ball over on lobs and in the half-court set and he did not get himself into shooting rhythm all night long. He had an abnormally low 4 free throw attempts on the night, and the Rockets would perhaps have lost this game with the players they had last year.

They didn't happen, however, and one of the players they added in the summer of 2017 proved to be the difference between an ignominious home loss and a series-clinching victory. PJ Tucker played his 3-and-D role to the T, knocking down 4 crucial 3-pointers from the corners. Tucker finished the night with 19 points, 6 rebounds, 3 blocks and a +/- of +12 while making 7 of his 9 shot attempts, including 5 of his 7 3-pointers.

It was for games like this that Daryl Morey picked him up off the free agent market last summer, and Tucker will be a crucial component of this team going forward in the playoffs this year.