James Harden Block Gives Rockets Game 7 Win vs. Chris Paul, Thunder

The Houston Rockets and Oklahoma City Thunder have been linked together since the offseason following their trade involving Russell Westbrook and Chris Paul, and the Rockets earned final bragging rights for the 2019-20 campaign in dramatic fashion.

Houston defeated OKC 104-102 in Wednesday's Game 7 of their first-round playoff series at Walt Disney World Resort and clinched a spot in the second round for the fourth consecutive season.

James Harden struggled on the offensive end throughout the contest but made the most important play of the game by swatting Luguentz Dort in the final seconds as the Rockets nursed a one-point lead. That Dort was on fire for much of the night made it all the more important.

The Thunder still had a chance to win after Robert Covington made just one of two free throws on the ensuing possession, but Danilo Gallinari missed a free throw for an away-from-the-play foul before OKC turned it over on the following inbound pass.

As a result, the Rockets will face the top-seeded Los Angeles Lakers and the well-rested and dynamic duo of LeBron James and Anthony Davis. As for the Thunder, impressive performances from Dort and Paul were not enough to prevent a first-round exit for the fourth year in a row.

Notable Player Stats

• Robert Covington, F, HOU: 21 PTS, 10 REB, 3 STL, 3 BLK
• Eric Gordon, G, HOU: 21 PTS
• Russell Westbrook, G, HOU: 20 PTS, 9 REB
• James Harden, G, HOU: 17 PTS, 9 AST, 3 BLK, 2 STL
• Luguentz Dort, G, OKC: 30 PTS
• Chris Paul, G, OKC: 19 PTS, 12 AST, 11 REB, 2 STL, 6 TO
• Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, G, OKC: 19 PTS, 4 AST, 2 STL

Supporting Cast, Defense Wins It for Rockets

Everything seemed to be setting up for Harden to be the singular force to carry Houston's offense coming into the decisive contest.

After all, Russell Westbrook's mistakes in the final 90 seconds of Game 6 when he turned it over, air-balled a mid-range pull-up and threw the ball out of bounds after Paul hit the winning free throws, all with Harden watching, was a major storyline. That Westbrook was coming back from an injury and shot just 3-of-13 from the field in Game 5 made Harden's noninvolvement all the more curious.

However, it was the supporting cast that set the tone in the early going for Houston with the season on the line.

Covington and Eric Gordon both found their strokes from deep and gave their side the lead at intermission even though Harden and Westbrook were both relatively quiet. In theory, it set the stage for the two All-Star guards to take over down the stretch and propel the Rockets to the second round.

Westbrook found the scoring touch in the third quarter by attacking the basket with his patented tenacity, which was much-needed with Harden struggling against a physical Thunder defense.

While Harden never figured it out on offense, his block was part of an impressive defensive stretch to win it for Houston. He had another one in crunch time, while Gordon stuck with Paul and even stripped him once on an important possession.

P.J. Tucker's floater with 1:25 remaining gave the Rockets the lead for good, as their defense allowed a single OKC field goal in the final four minutes. If they can play defense like that against James and Davis as well, they will have a chance to shock the Lakers.

Late-Game Thunder Collapse Spoils Dort's Night

If the focus was on Harden and his dynamic with Westbrook on Houston's side entering play, it was on Paul from OKC's perspective.

He outplayed the two Rockets All-Stars in crunch time in Game 6, capping off a performance that included monster back-to-back threes and a key steal of Westbrook with the game-winning free throws.

The Paul-takes-down-his-former-team storyline was right there for the taking in Game 7, but he was more of a facilitator out of the gate. That is because Dort, who became a familiar name for NBA fans during this series because of his physical defense on Harden and willingness to accept the challenge as an undrafted rookie, caught fire from deep.

Houston was leaving him open and basically daring him to hit from deep, and he obliged with a career-high scoring performance. That, in turn, opened driving lanes for Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Paul to either score or set up teammates, all while Dort was playing impressive defense on the other end.

It appeared as if CP3 was ready to take over when he torched Covington and drilled multiple threes from the top of the key to take the lead in the fourth quarter. Dort remained involved as well, connecting on a crucial three with less than five minutes left to tie it.

However, the Thunder made just one more field goal after that Dort three that came with 4:38 left. The final possession that included a missed free throw and a turnover was a fitting ending, and Paul was unable to take over in crunch time two games in a row.

What's Next?

The Rockets will face the Lakers in Game 1 of the second round on Friday, while the Thunder will turn their attention toward the offseason and adding enough pieces to take the next step.