Three takeaways from Thunder vs. Rockets: James Harden's clutch block saves Houston in Game 7

Jordan Greer

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Three takeaways from Thunder vs. Rockets: James Harden's clutch block saves Houston in Game 7 image

It certainly wasn't pretty, but the Rockets figured out a way to win Wednesday night's Game 7 against the Thunder and avoid what would have been an embarrassing first-round flameout.

The back-and-forth contest came to a screeching halt with a number of sloppy plays, timeouts and replay reviews in the fourth quarter. Both Houston and Oklahoma City failed to make a field goal attempt in the final minute. That sequence went a little something like this:

  • Thunder: Missed shot
  • Rockets: Turnover
  • Thunder: Missed shot
  • Rockets: Missed shot
  • Thunder: Blocked shot, turnover
  • Rockets: Made one of two free throws
  • Thunder: Missed free throw, retain possession
  • Thunder: Turnover

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YIKES.

On the final play of the game, the Thunder were unable to even cleanly inbound the ball. P.J. Tucker and Russell Westbrook ensured the pass from Shai Gilgeous-Alexander wouldn't reach Steven Adams.

Whew. Deep breath. Here are three takeaways from another exciting Game 7:

James Harden with the ... clutch defense?

Immediately after the win, ESPN's Cassidy Hubbarth noted Harden hadn't enjoyed a "typical offensive night." That was putting it kindly.

Harden scored 17 points on 4-of-15 shooting (1-of-9 from 3-point range) and once again struggled with the feisty Luguentz Dort. The Harden haters were salivating, ready to send all those memes that had been stored in their drafts over the previous 48 hours.

However, with fewer than 10 seconds to go and the Rockets holding a one-point lead, Harden swatted away Dort's 3-point attempt.

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It was an undeniably clutch play from Harden, and if that ball found its way past his left hand, Houston players might have been packing their bags.

"Offensively, I played like s—. Excuse my language," Harden told Hubbarth. "I couldn't make a shot. Turning the ball over. Just doing everything that was not supposed to happen. But I just kept sticking with it. My teammates give me confidence throughout the course of games. Defensively, I had to make a play."

Lu Dort, an unlikely playoff hero (well, almost)

And this is why Harden's block on Dort was so huge.

The 21-year-old racked up a career-high 30 points, hitting six 3-pointers as Rockets defenders largely left him open on the perimeter. His surprising shooting touch, in addition to his typically strong defense on Harden, set him up to be OKC's unlikely hero.

"Dort gave me about three heart attacks tonight," Rockets coach Mike D'Antoni said.

Unfortunately for Dort, he needed just one more to go down, which Harden refused to let happen.

Still, Dort deserves credit for playing an outstanding series and showing he should be part of an NBA rotation for years to come.

Rockets' supporting cast steps up

While Harden and Westbrook (understandably) garner a great deal of attention, don't forget about the role players.

Tucker, always undersized at center, battled with Adams all night. Eric Gordon scored 21 points and did a solid job defending Chris Paul. Robert Covington was Houston's player of the game with 21 points, 10 rebounds, three steals and three blocks.

The Rockets needed everyone to survive a hard-fought series against the Thunder. That won't change as Houston attempts to upset the top-seeded Lakers in the Western Conference semifinals.

Jordan Greer

Jordan Greer Photo

Jordan Greer has been with The Sporting News since 2015. He previously worked for the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. He is a graduate of Westminster College and Syracuse University.