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Early in Game 4, both teams seemed to carry their momentum from Game 3, as the Warriors opened up this Tuesday night encounter with a 12-0 run. But this Houston Rockets squad is different from the one the Dubs faced in the Playoffs in 2015 and 2016.
The new Rockets showed a lot of grit, poise and gut in Game 4 to not only take the Warriors' punch in the mouth but always retaliate with a punch of their own. It was a game of quarters, as the Warriors combined to outscore the Rockets 62-36 in the first and third quarter combined but the road team always struck back. Houston outscored Golden State 59-30 in the second and fourth quarters.
In the end, the Warriors' 12 points in the final period allowed the Rockets to re-take home court advantage with a Game 4 win. Also, snapping the Golden State Warriors' 16-game home Playoff win streak in the process. Not to mention the fact that they did this by bouncing back from a record 41-point loss.
Plenty of praise to throw around to both teams. Let's start with the winners:
James Harden - 9/10
Stat line: 30 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists, 3 steals, 2 blocks and 11-26 FG's
At this current stage of his career, we expect James Harden to get 30 points in his sleep. Game 4 wasn't about his scoring, as he only knocked down 42.3% of his attempts, it was about his hustle and all-around play in a mucky game where he showed his fight.
The Rockets' horrid 0-12 start to the game combined with Harden opting out of an open 3 early, got many to believe the star was going to an off-night once again when it mattered the most. To his credit, the Beard not only showed up but balled out the rest of the way, even uncharacteristically recording 3 steals and 2 blocks during this game.
Rockets got the win but Harden also gets to take back this poster dunk on Draymond Green back with him to Houston.
Chris Paul - 8.5/10
Stat line: 27 points, 4 assists, 2 rebounds, 1 steal on 10-20 FG's
Similar to Harden, Chris Paul had a slow start as well. After one quarter, he had no points and just one assist in 10 minutes of action.
While Harden did a little bit of everything while scoring 30, Paul took on the scoring load. He put up 27 for the game and was a huge part of the team's second-quarter revival. Heading into the locker rooms, the Rockets had turned the tables on the hosts. CP3 and Harden were a huge reason why.
Paul scored 14 in the second quarter and 8 in the final quarter, basically leading the way when the Rockets had big runs. In a defense-first game, where both teams, were missing plenty, it's difficult to fault him for getting just 4 assists and stuffing the stat sheet a little bit more. Despite the early struggles, he finished the game by shooting 50% from the field.
PJ Tucker - 8.5/10
Stat line: 4 points, 16 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals, 1 block, 44 minutes, +7
Easily the most important player on the Rockets after Harden and Paul, at least in this Game 4 he was. A game-high 16 rebounds, 4 of which were on the offensive glass and that's key in a game where both teams shot below 40%.
In the Rockets' small-ball line-ups, Tucker's the one who plays center so there's a huge physical toll he undergoes but he came up huge for them on Tuesday night. He played all but 4 minutes of the game and was a +7, which speaks volumes of his non-scoring impact on the game.
In their Game 2 win, his 22 points were crucial but this is the real Tucker (his Game 4 performance) that the Rockets signed up in the offseason when they had the Warriors on their mind as their target.
Trevor Ariza - 8/10
Stat line: 9 points, 3 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal, 1 block
In a game of this defensive intensity, not a lot of Rockets are going to show up in double figures. Ariza's stat line doesn't say much but when your primary duty is to guard arguably the toughest assignment in the series (Kevin Durant), scoring 9 points isn't bad at all. Moreover, he scored those 9 efficiently, on 2-of-3 shooting from long range and 3-of-4 from the free-throw line.
Although Durant did finish the game with 27, it was far below his normal efficiency. The reigning Finals MVP shot 9-of-24 from the field (37.5%) whereas, in the previous three games, he had been knocking it down at a rate of 52.2%. Even with the eye test, it was quite clear that Durant wasn't finding it easy in Game 4 when Ariza was on him.
Eric Gordon - 7.5/10
Stat line: 14 points, 1 rebound, 1 assist, 1 block, 4-14 FG's (1-8 3s)
Among the best 3-point shooters in the league right now, Eric Gordon only had one three on Tuesday night but it was arguably the biggest bucket of the game. He got that one to fall with 2:27 to go, extending the Rockets' lead to 5 at that point, thus giving them some breathing room to fight for the rest of the game.
Overall, he had a rough game, shooting-wise, but he's someone who can also go for 27 (6-9 on 3s) like he did in Game 2. He didn't provide a lot, despite playing nearly 3/4th of the game and if that 3 didn't play, analysts would have probably poured on his poor play but like we have heard multiple times - "it's a make or miss league".
Clint Capela - 7/10
Stat line: 8 points, 14 rebounds, 2 blocks
Due to the decision by both teams to go small for a majority of the time, the Rockets' defensive center Clint Capela is only averaging 26.8 minutes per game, which is just over one half in each game. However, in that time, he's making his presence felt, averaging 9.5 points and 9.3 rebounds (a near double-double). That's about the best he can do, leave it all out on the floor in the minutes that he does receive.
Gerald Green - Not Rated
12 minutes are too less to rate Gerald Green's performance but his stat line speaks for itself. Playing 6 minutes each half, Green only had 3 points, 2 rebounds and 2 blocks on 1-4 (all 3s) shooting but was a +14 while on the court. So he provided energy and hustle to the team more than anything else.
