Notes for Game 2: Rockets vs LA Lakers - Second Round of 2020 NBA Playoffs

Posted: September 6, 2020 -- 12:51 p.m. CT

Game 2 of the best-of-7 second round series between the Houston Rockets and the Los Angeles Lakers tips off Sunday night at 7:30 p.m. Central Time on ABC. The Rockets won Game 1, 112-97, Friday night.

Playoff Series Stats and Notes
• Houston won Game 1 vs. the Lakers… the Rocket have won Game 1 in seven of their nine playoff series under head coach Mike D'Antoni (going back to 2017)… Houston went onto win five of the previous six series in which it won Game 1 under D'Antoni (lost 2017 Semifinals vs. San Antonio)… the Rockets have never won a playoff series under D'Antoni when losing Game 1 (0-2; both series vs. Golden State in 2018 and 2019).
• The Rockets won Game 1 vs. the Lakers by 15 points… four of Houston's five wins this postseason have been by double-digits, including a 34-point win in Game 5 vs. OKC (largest margin of victory in franchise playoff history)… 17 of the Rockets 28 playoff wins under head coach Mike D'Antoni (going back to 2017) have been by double-digits…. Houston is 9-7 in playoff games decided by five or fewer points under D'Antoni (4-3 by 3 or fewer).
• Houston has led at the start of the fourth quarter in six of the eight games this postseason… the Rockets are 20-4 when leading after three quarters of play in the postseason under Mike D'Antoni (going back to 2017) and 8-15 when tied or trailing.
• The Rockets had 112 points in Game 1 vs. the Lakers… Houston is 4-1 when scoring 110+ points this postseason (41-13 in 2019-20) and 1-2 when failing to do so (4-15 in 2019-20)… the Rockets are 19-3 when scoring 110+ points in the playoffs under head coach Mike D'Antoni (going back to 2017) and 9-16 when failing to do so.
• The Rockets have held the opposition below 100 points three times this postseason after doing so four times during the regular season… Houston is 15-0 when holding opponents below 100 points in the playoffs under head coach Mike D'Antoni (going back to 2017).
• The Rockets made 14 3-pointers in Game 1 vs. the Lakers after averaging 18.3 in the First Round vs. OKC… Houston has hit 14+ threes made per game in each of the eight games this postseason, which is the longest single postseason streak in NBA history… the Rockets were 30-13 when having 15+ threes made per game during the regular season, including 19-2 when having 18+.
• Houston has hit 142 3-pointers this postseason… that is the highest total through the first eight games of a postseason in NBA history… the previous record was 126 by (you guessed it) Houston in 2019.
• The Rockets only had 39 3-point attempts in Game 1 vs. L.A. after averaging 47.0 three-point field goal attempts in the First Round vs. OKC… Houston did not have fewer than 44 three-point field goal attempts in a single game prior since the restart and only took fewer than 40 three-point field goal attempts 13 times during the regular season… the Rockets have 50+ three-point field goal attempts four times in the First Round, including an NBA playoff record 58 in Game 4.
• Houston has taken 55.3% of its shots from 3-point range this postseason (54.3% over the final 27 games in the regular season and 50.1% overall).
• The Rockets have recorded more threes made per game than their opponent in all eight games this postseason and are averaging 5.9 more per game… Houston has averaged 4.2 more threes made per game (199 total) than its opponent in 47 playoff games under head coach Mike D'Antoni (going back to 2017)… Houston averaged 4.7 more threes made per game than the opposition over the final 27 games of 2019-20, up from a +2.7 differential over the first 45 games (+3.4 per overall)
• Houston is shooting 35.9% from 3-point range this postseason and has shot 37.0% or better three times (2-1 mark) while only shooting 33.3% or worse once (0-1 mark)… Houston was 24-1 when shooting 37.0% or better from behind-the-arc during the regular season (only loss without James Harden and Russell Westbrook) and 15-21 when shooting 33.3% or worse.
• The Rockets are holding opponents to an average of 11.9 threes made per game on 32.3% shooting this postseason… the opposition has only recorded more than 14 threes made per game once this postseason and has only shot better than 35.0% twice… Houston was 6-10 when allowing 15+ threes made per game during the regular season… the Rockets were 27-6 when holding opponents to 33.3% or worse shooting from behind-the-arc in 2019-20.
• Houston had 27 free throw attempts in Game 1 vs. the Lakers after averaging 16.4 in the First Round vs. OKC… the Rockets ranked second in the NBA with 26.1 free throw attempts per game during the regular season… Houston ranked sixth in free throw attempts differential (+2.3) during the regular season but averaged 7.6 fewer than OKC in the First Round… the Rockets had 8 more free throw attempts than the Lakers in Game 1.
• The Rockets have 142 free throw attempts in the eight games this postseason… that is tied for the lowest total through the first eight games of a postseason since Boston had 135 in 2002.
• The Rockets won Game 1 vs. the Lakers despite having just 19 assists with 16 turnovers…
• Houston had 13 steals in Game 1. Houston has recorded 10 or more steals in each of the past four games, which is the longest streak in franchise playoff history (NBA record is 6 games by Portland in 1977)Houston scored 27 points off of 17 Lakers' turnovers while the Lakers scored 12 points off 16 Houston turnovers.
• The Rockets outscored LA 42-40 in the paint.
• Houston has outscored the opposition by a total of 24 points in the paint this postseason… the Rockets outscored the opposition in PIP 23 times during the regular season but just four times post All-Star break through the end of the seeding schedule… the Rockets are allowing just 36.5 PIP this postseason, down from 51.5 per game during the regular season (26th in NBA).
• The Lakers scored 18 fast break points in Game 1 after Houston did not allow more than 11 fast break points during any of the seven First Round games vs. OKC (6.0 per game)

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Here are some quick player-based statistical notes from the Rockets postseason:

Player Playoff Notes
• James Harden is averaging 30.5 points per game, 7.6 assists per game and 5.8 rebounds per game this postseason… since joining Houston in 2012-13, he is averaging 28.5 points per game, 7.0 assists per game and 5.7 rebounds per game… Harden and Russell Westbrook are two of seven players in NBA playoff history with 100+ playoff games to have averaged at least 23.0 points per game, 5.0 assists per game and 5.0 rebounds per game.
• James Harden has scored 30+ points in five of the past six games and six times overall this postseason… he has the second-most 30-point playoff games (27) of any player dating back to the 2017 playoffs (Mike D’Antoni’s first postseason with Houston)… Harden has scored 20+ points in 67 of his 81 playoff games as a Rocket, including 30+ 39 times (30+ 40 times in his playoff career).
• James Harden has scored 30+ points while shooting 50.0% or better four times this postseason and is shooting 48.1% overall… he recorded a total of three games with 30+ points while shooting 50.0% or better over the past two postseason… the Rockets were 21-5 when Harden shot 50.0% or better in 2019-20… he shot 41.2% from the floor in his first seven postseasons as a Rocket.
• James Harden had an assist-to-turnover ratio of 2.26 this postseason, up from 1.66 during the regular season and 1.43 in the 2019 playoffs.
• Russell Westbrook missed the first four games this postseason with a right quad strain but has played the past four, averaging 17.0 points per game, 7.0 rebounds per game and 4.5 assists per game… including the playoffs, Houston is 10-9 in games he has missed … Westbrook joins LeBron James as the only players in NBA playoff history with more than 25 games played to have averaged at least 25.0 points per game, 7.0 rebounds per game and 7.0 assists per game.
• Russell Westbrook has scored 20 or more points in each of the past two games… he had the longest streak of scoring 20+ points of any player during the regular season with a career-best 36-game span… Westbrook averaged 30.0 points per game on 50.2% shooting over his final 38 games played in 2019-20.
• Eric Gordon has scored 20 or more points in four of the past five games and five times overall this postseason, which is his highest total in a single postseason… he is averaging 18.8 points per game this postseason (17.8 in 2019 playoffs)… Gordon averaged 16.6 points per game in the 21 wins he appeared in this season compared to 11.5 points per game in the 15 losses he played in.
• Eric Gordon is shooting 8-of-17 from 3-point range over the past two games after shooting 8-of-43 over the first six games this postseason… he shot 40.0% from behind-the-arc in the 2019 playoffs.
• Eric Gordon has scored 18+ points in six of the eight games this postseason... after scoring a career-high 50 points at Utah on 1/27, he did not have more than 17 points the rest of the regular season (11.6 points per game in 17 games played over that span).
• P.J. Tucker has scored in double-figures three times this postseason and in 17 of his 36 playoff games as a Rocket compared to doing so in 58 of his 236 regular season games with Houston.
• P.J. Tucker is averaging 9.0 rebounds over the past six games and 7.9 rebounds per game overall this postseason… he has grabbed 10+ boards twice this postseason and 12 times in his playoff career… Tucker averaged a career-high 6.6 rebounds per game in 2019-20.
• Robert Covington is averaging 16.8 points over the past four games after averaging 8.0 the first four games this postseason and 12.4 points per game overall… he averaged 8.1 points per game in his only other postseason with Philadelphia in 2018… Covington is shooting 50.7% from the floor (51.0% 3FGs) this postseason after shooting 33.3% (23.2% 3FGs) in the seeding games… he shot 32.5% (31.3% 3FGs) in his only other playoff appearance for Philly in 2018).
• Robert Covington has 21 steals and 12 blocks in the eight games this postseason… the last player to have recorded at least 21 steals and 12 blocks through the first eight games of a postseason was Ben Wallace in 2004… during the regular season, Covington was one of three players who averaged at least 1.50 steals per game and 1.00 steals per game and he ranked 10th in the NBA with 1.64 steals per game.

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