Notes for Game 6 of Rockets vs OKC Thunder First Round Playoff Series

Posted: August 31, 2020 -- 9:58 a.m. CT

Game 6 of the Houston Rockets - Oklahoma City Thunder series is scheduled for Monday, August 31. Tip-off will be a few minutes after 8 p.m. Central Time on AT&T SportsNet SW, Fox Sports Oklahoma, and TNT.

If you ever wondered where the radio / tv personalities get some of the statistical minutiae heard during broadcasts, here's a look behind the curtain (sort of) at a few of the notes, stats, tidbits compiled by the Houston Rockets Media Communications Department for game 6:

Playoff Series Notes
• Houston won Game 5 after losing Games 3 & 4 after winning Games 1 & 2… the Rockets have never lost three straight playoff games under head coach Mike D'Antoni (going back to 2017)… entering the 2020 playoffs, teams that won the first two games of a best-of-7 series went onto win the series 93.2% of the time (288-21).
• Today is the Rockets first chance to eliminate the Thunder… Houston is 4-3 when having the chance to eliminate an opponent under head coach Mike D'Antoni (going back to 2017), including 3-1 in the First Round.
• Houston won Game 5 by 34 points… that marked the largest margin of victory in Rockets playoff history and the fifth by 30+ points (third under head coach Mike D'Antoni going back to 2017)… 17 of Houston's 26 playoff wins under D'Antoni have been by double-digits, including each of its past 10 First Round victories (going back to 2018 vs. Minnesota).
• Houston has scored 110+ points in four of the five games this series (113.8 points per game overall)… the Rockets were 41-13 when scoring 110+ points during the regular season (4-15 below) and are 18-3 when doing so in the playoffs under head coach Mike D'Antoni (going back to 2017; 8-15 below).
• The Rockets held OKC to 80 points in Game 5 after giving up 117 points in Game 4 (first time allowing more than 108 in regular to Thunder this series)… the 80 points tied for the 10th-fewest allowed in franchise playoff history… Houston is 24-5 when holding the opposition below 110 points in the playoffs under head coach Mike D'Antoni (going back to 2017) and 2-13 when failing to do so.
• Since shooting 48.3% in Game 1, Houston has only shot better than 43.0% once over the past four games… the Rockets were 29-7 when shooting 45.0% or better during the regular season and 15-21 when shooting below… Houston is 14-6 when shooting 45.0% in the playoffs under head coach
• Mike D'Antoni (going back to 2017) and 12-12 when failing to do so.
• The Rockets held OKC to 31.5% shooting in Game 5 after shooting 48.8% in Game 4… that marked the lowest FG% by an opponent in franchise playoff history… Houston is 18-3 when holding opponents below 45.0% shooting in the playoffs under head coach Mike D'Antoni (going back to 2017) and 8-15 when failing to do so), including 10-0 below 40.0%… the Rockets were 20-5 when the opposition shot below 45.0% in 2019-20.
• Houston outshot OKC in Game 5 after being outshot in each of the previous three games… the Rockets were 25-3 when outshooting the opposition this season and 19-25 when failing to do so… Houston is 17-2 when outshooting its opponent in the playoffs under head coach Mike D'Antoni (going back to 2017) and 9-16 when failing to do so.
• The Rockets have hit 15+ 3-pointers in each of the five games this series, including 18+ four times… Houston was 30-13 when having 15+ threes made per game during the regular season, including 19-2 when having 18+… regular season and playoffs combined, the Rockets are 47-5 when having 20+ threes made per game under head coach Mike D'Antoni (going back to 2016-17)… Houston has hit 20+ threes made per game twice this series and three times in playoff franchise history.
• Houston has hit 96 3-pointers in the five games this series… that is the highest total through the first five games of a postseason in NBA playoff history… no other team had more than 84 and the record entering this season was 77 by, you guessed it, Houston in 2019.
• Houston "only" attempted 48 3-pointers in Game 5 after having 50+ in each of the first four games, including an NBA playoff record 58 in Game 4…. the Rockets have attempted 50+ three-point field goal attempts 7 times in playoff history… the rest of the NBA has recorded two games with 50+ three-point field goal attempts in playoff history…
• Houston has taken 57.0% of its shots from 3-point range this postseason (54.3% over final 27 games in regular season and 50.1% overall in 19-20).
• The Rockets are averaging 8.0 more threes made per game than OKC this series… Houston has averaged 4.4 more threes made per game (192 total) than its opponent in 44 playoff games under head coach Mike D'Antoni (going back to 2017)… the Rockets 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; first in NBA).
• Houston has hit 10+ more 3-pointers than OKC in each of the past two games (1-1 mark)… the Rockets were 11-0 when having 10 or more threes made per game than their opponent during the regular season… Houston is 7-1 when having 10+ more threes made per game than its opponent in the playoffs (5-1 under head coach
• Mike D'Antoni going back to 2017).
• The Rockets have shot 39.6% from 3-point range over the past two games after shooting 32.1% the two games prior (36.4% overall this series)…
• Houston has shot 37.0% or better three times this series (2-1 mark)… the Rockets were 24-1 when shooting 37.0% or better from behind-the-arc during the regular season, with the only loss coming without James Harden and Russell Westbrook against New Orleans on 12/29.
• Houston is averaging 16.8 free throw attempts this series, including 12.0 over the past two games… the Rockets ranked second in the NBA with 26.1 free throw attempts per game during the regular season… OKC has MADE 14 more free throws than Houston has ATTEMPTED this series and is averaging 9.0 more per game… the Rockets ranked sixth in free throw attempts differential (+2.3 per) in 2019-20.
• Since shooting 89.2% from the foul line in the first two games of the series, the Rockets have shot 72.3% over the past three games (79.8% overall)… Houston shot 82.1% from the line during the eight seeding games and finished 2019-20 shooting 79.1%.
• Houston is being outrebounded by an average of 6.8 rebounds per game this series (34 total)… the Rockets were outrebounded by an average of 10.7 rebounds per game over their final 27 regular season games and by 3.6 rebounds per game overall in 2019-20… Houston was outrebounded by 20+ boards 20 times this season (10-10 mark).
• The Rockets have recorded more assists than OKC in four of the five games this series, including 25+ three times… Houston was 18-5 when having more assists than the opposition during the regular season… the Rockets were only 12-6 when having 25+ assists during the regular season but were also just 12-10 when having 20 or fewer.
• The Rockets are only averaging 11.0 turnovers this series after averaging 15.8 turnovers per game in the 2019 playoffs… Houston has an assist-to-turnover ratio of 2.05 this series after ranking 29th in the NBA during the regular season with a 1.47 ratio.
• Houston had a playoff-high 12 steals in Game 5 and is averaging 8.00 steals per game and 15.6 turnovers forced this series… the Rockets ranked third in the NBA with 8.71 steals per game during the regular season and were 20-8 when having 10+… opponents had 15+ turnovers in 27 of the final 31 games and averaged 17.9 turnovers per game over that span after averaging 15.0 over the first 41 games of the season (16.2 turnovers per game overall; HOU tied for third in turnovers forced).
• The Rockets have outscored OKC by a total of 12 points in the paint this series… Houston outscored the opposition in PIP 23 times during the regular season but just four time post All-Star break through the end of the seeding schedule… the Rockets are allowing 38.0 PIP this series, down from 51.5 per game during the regular season (26th in NBA).
• Houston's bench has been outscored by a total of 42 points over the past two games after outscoring the Thunder's bench by 18 points over the first three games of the series… Houston's reserves outscored the opponents bench in 14 of the final 33 games this season after doing so three times over the first 39 games… the Rockets bench was outscored by an average of 10.4 points per game by opponents reserves during the regular season.
• Houston is only averaging 9.0 fast break points this series, down from a season average of 14.6 but has only allowed an average of 6.0 fast break points and 9.4 points off turnovers… the Rockets ranked 27th in fast break points allowed during the regular season (15.1 per) and 22nd in points off turnovers allowed (17.8 per)… Houston is averaging 18.2 points off turnovers this series (4th in NBA with 18.9 per game during regular season).
• The Rockets are outscoring OKC by an average of 6.2 points in the first quarter this series after being outscored by an average of 8.7 points per game by the Thunder in the first quarter of their three regular season meetings.

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Player Playoff Notes
• James Harden is averaging 31.8 points per game, 8.0 assists per game and 6.6 rebounds per game this series… LeBron James, Michael Jordan, Oscar Robertson and Russell Westbrook are the only players to have averaged at least 31.0 points per game, 8.0 assists per game and 6.0 rebounds per game in a single postseason with at least five games played… since joining the Rockets in 2012-13, Harden has averaged 28.5 points per game, 7.1 assists per game and 5.8 rebounds per game in the playoffs.
• James Harden has scored 30+ points in four of the five games this series… dating back to the 2017 playoffs (Mike D'Antoni's first season with Houston), Harden has the second-most 30-point playoff games (25; LeBron James first w/28)… Harden has scored 20+ points in 65 of his 78 playoff games as a Rocket (30+ 37 times), including each of the past 18 games (longest active streak).
• James Harden 31 points on 11-of-15 shooting in Game 5… he has scored 30+ points while shooting 50.0% or better twice this series after doing so once in 11 games last postseason… the Rockets were 21-5 when Harden shot 50.0% or better during the regular season… he is shooting 48.6% this series… Harden shot 41.2% from the floor in his first seven postseason as a Rocket.
• James Harden has a total of 11 free throw attempts over the past two games after averaging 10.7 the first three games of the series… he averaged a career-high 11.8 free throw attempts in 2019-20.
• Russell Westbrook had 7 points, 7 assists and 6 rebounds in 24 minutes of play in Game 5 after missing the first four games of the series with a right quad strain… including the playoffs, Houston is 10-9 in games he has missed this season… Westbrook joins LeBron James as the only players in NBA playoff history with more than 20 games played to have averaged at least 25.0 points per game, 7.0 rebounds per game and 7.0 assists per game.
• Eric Gordon is averaging 19.4 points this series after averaging 7.5 points per game in two regular season games against the Thunder… he averaged 16.6 points per game in the 21 wins he appeared in this season compared to 1.5 points per game in the 15 losses he played in… Gordon averaged 17.8 points per game in the 2019 playoffs… he is shooting 18.9% from 3-point range this series… Gordon shot 40.0% from behind-the-arc in the 2019 playoffs.
• Eric Gordon has scored 18+ points in four of the five games this series, including 20+ three times... after scoring a career-high 50 points at Utah on January 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 in three of the five games this series and in 17 of his 33 playoff games as a Rocket compared to doing so in 58 of his 236 regular season games with Houston… he is shooting 41.4% from 3-point range this series and 45.3% in three playoffs with the Rockets.
• Robert Covington is averaging 18.0 points over the past two games after scoring a total of 18 points over the first three games of the series… he is averaging 1.80 steals and 1.00 blocks this series… Covington was one of three players this season who averaged at least 1.50 spg and 1.00 spg and ranked 10th in the NBA with 1.64 spg… he is shooting 47.5% this series (45.2% 3FGs) after shooting 33.3% (23.2% 3FGs) in the seeding games.
• Danuel House Jr. is averaging 14.2 points per game (44.6% FGs, 38.2% 3FGs), 6.8 rebounds per game and 2.2 assists per game in 35.0 mpg this series after averaging 4.9 points per game (29.7% FGs, 25.8% 3FGs), 3.1 rebounds per game and 0.1 assists per game in 20.1 mpg in seven games played for the Rockets in the 2019 playoffs, which marked his playoff debut… he missed the final four games of last postseason due to injury… House averaged 30.4 mpg this season, up from 25.1 mpg in 2018-19.
• Jeff Green is averaging 15.6 points on 50.9% shooting this series… including the regular season, he has scored in double-figures in 17 of his 23 games as a Rocket, including 10 of the past 11… Green shot 56.4% from the floor after signing with Houston on 2/18… Green is averaging 3.2 threes made per game on 47.1% shooting this series… he had 3+ threes made per game in six of his 18 regular season games played as a Rocket.
• Jeff Green has scored 20+ points twice this series… he scored 20+ points four times prior in his playoff career, all coming with Boston vs. New York in the First Round of the 2013 playoffs… Green averaged 20.3 points per game in that series for the Celtics.
• Austin Rivers had 11 points while shooting 3-of-6 from 3-point range in Game 2 but has scored a total of 13 points while shooting 1-of-10 from behind the-arc in the other four games… the Rockets were 18-8 when he scored 10+ points this season… Rivers averaged 1.8 threes made per game on 41.4% shooting over the final 30 games after averaging 1.1 on 30.3% shooting over his first 38 games played.
• Ben McLemore had 14 points while shooting 4-of-7 from 3-point range in his playoff debut in Game 1 but had scored a total of 12 points while shooting 4-of-12 from behind-the-arc over the past four games… he had the he had the third-most career games played (439) of any active player in 2019-20 who had yet to appear in the playoffs… McLemore averaged 2.5 threes made per game on 40.0% shooting during the regular season.

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