The Oklahoma City Thunder had a much better first two quarters in Game 6 than their final two on Saturday, trailing the Houston Rockets 51-48 at halftime.
The Houston Rockets succeeded in playing Lu Dort off the court early.
However, with him off, the Thunder’s offensive spacing improved and Danilo Gallinari got more involved.
The power forward had 11 points and created some of his own looks as he led the Thunder in scoring.
Guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had 10 points on 4-for-6 shooting with a pair of 3s.
Center Steven Adams dominated the offensive glass.
He was credited with seven offensive rebounds in the first half and had 10 total rebounds to go with six points.
Rockets guard James Harden led the game with 17 points. He was 1-for-5 from 3 but 5-for-6 from inside the arc.
Houston guard Russell Westbrook had eight points on 4-for-6 shooting and did not attempt a 3.
Eric Gordon hit a 3 at the buzzer to give the Rockets a halftime lead on a play that salvaged his half. He has just five points on 2-for-8 shooting.
The teams had a combined 17 turnovers and 17 points off turnovers. Overall, it was a very fast-paced half, as the teams both had at least 20 fast break points.
There were limited fouls called. The teams attempted six free throws apiece in the first half.
Neither of the teams were making 3-pointers consistently. The Rockets were 7-for-24 from deep, 29.2%, and the Thunder were 3-for-15, 20%.
How the Thunder proceeds with Dort will be a question. The rookie played just six minutes, all of which were in the first quarter. Darius Bazley played 12 minutes off the bench and Terrance Ferguson played five.
Dennis Schroder had six points in 18 minutes off the bench.
