11 takeaways from the Thunder's 104-101 win over Rockets (Game 3)

HOUSTON, TX – APRIL 27: Kevin Durant #35 of the Oklahoma City Thunder rebounds the ball against the Houston Rockets in Game Three of the Western Conference Quarterfinals during the 2013 NBA Playoffs on April 27, 2013 at the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas

The OKC Thunder came into this game with a chip on their shoulder after losing their point guard, Russell Westbrook, off a freak accident in Game 2. Leading their best of 7 series 2-0, they won their 3rd game versus the Rockets 104-101. Here are talking points from this game-

Knocking on 2nd round’s door

The OKC Thunder are well on their way to the second round. No team has ever come back from a 3-0 deficit and the Rockets are really up against it right now. If the Thunder make it through, they will face either the Clippers or the Grizzlies.

41 points

In the absence of Russell Westbrook, Kevin Durant was going to have to step up today. And he did, dropping 41 points on the Rockets while playing without his backcourt mate. He also had 14 rebounds and 4 games. Kevin Durant tried to take it to the hole and misfired time and time again to start off the fourth; but with 7 minutes in the game, he dropped in a jumper with the score 83-80 in favour of the Thunder by playing to his strengths. Ultimately Durant put the game away with a lucky bounce on a three ball in the last minute.

Stars shoot poorly

Neither James Harden nor Kevin Durant shot particularly well in this one. Durant was 13 of 30 from the field for his 41 points and Harden finished with 30 points on 9-22 shooting while adding 8 rebounds and 6 assists.

Strong third quarter push

At one point, the Rockets were down 26 in the second quarter. The halftime speech must have been inspiring because the Rockets ended the third on a 22-7 run and the score was 80-76 to start the fourth.

Ball movement

The Rockets play unselfish ball and thrive on rapid ball movement. They had 23 assists to the 14 of the Thunder.

Live and die by the three ball

The Rockets shot a paltry 32.4% from downtown, going 12-37 to 10-26 of the Thunder. Parsons and Delfino had 3 each and Garcia added 4 off the bench.

Sending a message

The Thunder were bitter about losing Westbrook because of the collision with Beverly. And Kendrick Perkins did not lose any time in letting the Rockets know, setting a hard screen which must have shook the teeth out of Beverly.

Missing Westbrook

Russell Westbrook was a major offensive force for the Thunder. His replacement, Reggie Jackson, added 14 points, 2 rebounds and one assist to the mix today. A far cry from the usual contribution which Westbrook gives the Thunder.

Battle of the boards

The Thunder out-rebounded the Rockets 49-41. They were led by 14 boards from Durant and 11 from Ibaka.

Chandler Parsons shines

With 5:44 remaining, Chandler Parsons hit a three to tie it all at 91. He had an excellent performance with 21 points on 8-12 shooting and added 7 rebounds and 7 assists.

Late lead for the Rockets

The last time the Rockets led in this game was when the score was 9-6 with 8 minutes left in the first quarter. After that, they trailed for almost the entire game. Delfino’s three at 3:40 gave the Rockets their first lead in the fourth with 94-93 and Garcia’s 3 with 45 seconds left gave the Rockets a 99-97 lead. But they could not hold on to it.

The Rockets will look to extend their season on 30th April at 7 AM IST, as the Thunder will look to sweep their first round opponents out of the playoffs.