Notes for Game 5: Rockets vs LA Lakers - Western Conference Semifinals of 2020 NBA Playoffs

Posted: September 12, 2020 -- 9:13 a.m. CT

Game 5 of the best-of-7 second round series between the Houston Rockets and the Los Angeles Lakers tips off Saturday night at 7 p.m. Central Time on ESPN. The Lakers lead the series 3-1

Playoff Series Stats and Notes
• The Rockets trail this series 3-1… Houston has not been eliminated in fewer than six games under head coach Mike D'Antoni (going back to 2017)… the last time Houston lost a series in five games was in the First Round to Golden State in 2016… this postseason, Denver became the 12th team to overcome a 3-1 deficit to win a series… Houston accomplished the feat in the 1995 Semifinals vs. Phoenix and the 2015 Semifinals vs. the Clippers.
• The Rockets have lost the past three games… Houston did not lose more than two straight playoff games prior under head coach Mike D'Antoni (going back to 2017).
• The Rockets have lost the past two games by double-digits… the last time Houston lost consecutive playoff games by 10+ points was Games 3 & 4 of the Semifinals vs. San Antonio in 2017
• The Rockets have only scored 110+ points once over the past six games (104.5 points per game) after averaging 113.8 points per game the first five games… Houston is 4-1 when scoring 110+ points this postseason (41-13 in 2019-20) and 1-5 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 9-19 when failing to do so.
• Houston has scored below 110 points in each of the past three games… the Rockets longest streak of scoring below 110 points during the regular season was three games (twice).
• Houston has allowed 110+ points in regulation in each of the past three games after doing so once prior this postseason… the Rockets were 21-3 when holding the opposition below 110 points during the regular season (5-1 this postseason) and are 26-6 when doing so in the playoffs under head coach Mike D'Antoni (going back to 2017) and 2-16 when failing to do so
• The Rockets only had 65 field goal attempts in Game 4 vs. the Lakers… that marked the lowest shot total in any game (regular season or playoffs) under head coach Mike D'Antoni (going back to 2016-17)… Houston never had fewer than 70 field goal attempts in a game prior under D'Antoni.
• The Lakers are shooting 53.4% over the past three games after opponents shot 42.9% over the first eight games this postseason, including a franchise-opponent low 31.5% by OKC in Game 5… Houston was 20-5 when holding the opposition below 45.0% shooting during the regular season and is 19-4 when doing so in the playoffs under head coach Mike D'Antoni (going back to 2017) and 9-18 when failing to do so.
• The Lakers have shot 48.0% or better in each of the past three games… the last time the Rockets allowed the same team to shoot 48.0% or better in three straight playoff games was a four-game span in the 1996 Semifinals vs. Seattle.
• Houston has been outshot in four of the past five games, including three straight… the Rockets were 25-3 when outshooting the opposition this season and 19-25 when failing to do so… Houston is 18-3 when outshooting its opponent in the playoffs under head coach Mike D'Antoni (going back to 2017) and 10-19 when failing to do so.
• The Rockets have recorded fewer than 15 threes made per game in three of the four games this series (15.5 per) after having 15+ in all seven games during the First Round series vs. OKC (18.3 per)… Houston was 30-13 when having 15+ threes made per game during the regular season and 14-15 when having fewer… the Rockets are 3-2 when having 18+ threes made per game this postseason after going 19-2 when doing so during the regular season
• The Rockets are only averaging 38.8 three-point field goal attempts this series after averaging 51.0 in the First Round vs. OKC… Houston has recorded 50+ three-point field goal attempts five times this postseason, including an NBA playoff record 58 in Game 4 in the First Round vs. OKC… the Rockets have taken 54.5% of their shots from 3- point range this postseason (54.3% over the final 27 games in the regular season and 50.1% overall in 2019-20).
• The Rockets have recorded more threes made per game than their opponent in all 11 games this postseason and are averaging 5.8 more per game… Houston has averaged 4.3 more threes made per game (216 total) than its opponent in 50 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 has lost the past three games despite shooting 40.0% or better from 3-point range in all 3… the Rockets were 16-0 when shooting 40.0% or better from behind-the-arc during the regular season.
• The Rockets have been outrebounded by double-digits four times this postseason, including each of the past two games… Houston was 10-10 when being outrebounded by double-digits in 2019-20… the Rockets have not outrebounded their opponent in any game this postseason and are being outrebounded by 8.3 rebounds per game… Houston was outrebounded by an average of 10.7 rebounds per game over their final 27 regular season games (3.6 rebounds per game overall).
• Houston only had one offensive rebound in Game 4, tying the NBA playoff record for the fewest in a single games (4th time)… the Rockets have just 19 offensive rebounds this series… the NBA record for the fewest in a 4-game series is 21 and the record for a 5-game series is 28.
• The Lakers are averaging 57.3 points in the paint over the past three games and have 76 more PIP than Houston over that span… the Rockets held opponents to an average of 36.5 PIP over the first eight games this postseason and outscored them by a total of 24 PIP… Houston is allowing 42.2 PIP this postseason, down from 51.5 per game during the regular season (26th in NBA).
• The Rockets bench is being outscored 152-78 this series and by an average of 9.5 points per game overall this postseason… Houston's reserves outscored the opposition's bench in 14 of the final 33 games during the regular season after doing so just three times over the first 39 games but were outscored by an average of 10.4 points per game overall.
• Houston is being outscored 67-25 in fast break points this series… the Rockets are averaging 8.6 fast break points this postseason after ranking ninth in the NBA with 14.6 per game during the regular season… the Lakers are averaging 16.8 fast break points this series after Houston held OKC to 6.0 per game in the First Round…

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

Player Playoff Notes
• James Harden is averaging 29.5 points per game, 7.9 assists per game and 5.5 rebounds per game this postseason… since joining Houston in 2012-13, he is averaging 28.4 points per game, 7.1 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 seven of the 11 games this postseason… he has the second-most 30-point playoff games (28) of any player dating back to the 2017 playoffs (Mike D’Antoni’s first postseason with Houston)… Harden has scored 20+ points in 70 of his 84 playoff games as a Rocket, including 30+ 40 times (30+ 41 times in his playoff career).
• Harden shot 2-of-11 from the floor in Game 4 vs. the Lakers but is still shooting 46.6% this postseason and has shot 50.0% or better in five of the 11 games after doing so a total of seven times in 44 over the previous four postseasons (2016-2019)… 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 has an assist-to-turnover ratio of 2.23 this postseason, up from 1.66 during the regular season and 1.43 in the 2019 playoffs.
• James Harden had a playoff career-high tying 20 free throw attempts in Game 4 vs. the Lakers… since joining the Rockets in 2012-13, he has recorded 20+ free throw attempts 23 times (regular season and playoffs combined)… no other player has done so more than 14 times over that span.
• Russell Westbrook missed the first four games this postseason with a right quad strain but has played the past six, averaging 19.0 points per game, 7.4 rebounds per game and 4.4 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 30 games played to have averaged at least 25.0 points per game, 7.0 rebounds per game and 7.0 assists per game.
• Russ is averaging 27.5 points on 52.5% shooting (5-12 3FGs) over the past two games after averaging 15.6 points per game on 39.1% shooting (3- 18 3FGs) over his first five games played this postseason… the Rockets are 1-3 when he shoots 43.0% or better this postseason after going 28-12 during the regular season.
• Eric Gordon has scored 20+ points six times this postseason after doing so six times in 36 games played during the regular season… he is averaging 18.5 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.
• Gordon has scored 18+ points in eight of the 11 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).
• EG is averaging 4.0 threes made per game on 46.5% shooting over the past five games after having a total of 8 threes made per game on 18.6% shooting the first six games this postseason… he shot 40.0% from behind-the-arc in the 2019 playoffs…. Gordon has the fourth-most threes made per game (136) of any player in the playoffs since joining Houston in 2016-17.
• P.J. Tucker has scored 10+ points four times this postseason and in 18 of his 38 playoff games as a Rocket compared to doing so in 58 of his 236 regular season games with Houston... since scoring a playoff-high 18 points in Game 2 vs. L.A., he has a total of 3 points over the past two games.
• Tucker has played 385 minutes without a single free throw attempt this postseason… Danny Ferry (334 minutes in 13 games for San Antonio in 2001) is the only player in NBA playoff history to have played 300+ minutes in a single postseason without a free throw attempt… Tucker had 48 free throw attempts in 2,467 minutes played during the regular season and was the first player in league history with 2,400+ minutes played and fewer than 50 free throw attempts.
• Robert Covington is averaging 9.0 points this series vs. the Lakers after averaging 13.3 points per game in the First Round vs. OKC… he is still averaging 11.7 points per game on 51.1% shooting (51.6% 3FGs) overall this postseason after averaging 8.1 points per game on 32.5% shooting (31.3% 3FGs) in his only other playoff appearance for Philly in 2018.
• Robert Covington has 28 steals and 13 blocks in the 11 games this postseason… dating back to 1983-84, it is the third time a player has recorded at least 28 steals and 13 blocks through the first 11 games of a postseason (Clyde Drexler in 1990 and 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.
• Jeff Green is averaging 12.5 points on 55.6% shooting over the past two games after scoring a total of 7 points on 3-of-7 shooting the first two games this series… he averaged 13.4 points per game on 50.7% shooting in the First Round vs. OKC… including the regular season, Green has scored 10+ points in 19 of his 29 games as a Rocket.
• Austin Rivers has scored 10+ points twice this series and went scoreless in the other two games… he has scored 10+ points three times this postseason but has gone scoreless five times… Houston was 18-8 when he had 10+ points during the regular season… Rivers is shooting 8-of-30 from 3-point range this postseason… he averaged 1.8 threes made per game on 41.4% shooting over the final 30 games in 2019-20.
• Ben McLemore had 9 points on 3-of-3 shooting from 3-point range in Game 4 vs. the Lakers after scoring a total of 12 points while shooting 4-of-17 from 3-point range the eight games prior…

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