Rockets Hold On To Win Game 3
- By Shaki N. Wilson
- Apr 22, 2016
- 2 min read
James Harden's bucket with 2.7 seconds left put the Houston Rockets ahead; Draymond Green's turnover kept them ahead.
The Rockets maintained the momentum built from the opening tip-off, a raucous hometown crowd and staved off a late comeback to defeat the Stephen Curry-less Golden State Warriors 97-96. The win puts Houston back in the series and with a victory on Sunday, can even the contest at 2 games apiece.
One player who displayed his toughness was center Dwight Howard. He notched yet another double-double, despite limited minutes in the fourth quarter. Howard displayed the talents Rockets fans have dreamed of when he signed an $88 million contract last season. The Rockets big man turned back the clock to his Orlando magic days by running the court and blocking shots, reminding his opponents that he won the defensive player of the year award three straight years from 2008-11. If he can continue this kind of play, the Rockets will have a distinct advantage over the Warriors at the center position and help Harden and Houston with a balanced offensive attack.
One person who was not impressed was NBA on TNT analyst, hall of famer, and former Houston Rocket Charles Barkley. Even with the Rockets leading 55-48 at halftime, Barkley stated that not only would the Rockets lose game 3 by ten points, but that they would get swept and start planning their summer vacations by Monday. He even went so far as to play travel agent by booking their destinations to Cancun, Mexico. Barkley also said that Houston was displaying "fake hustle," prompting Rockets CEO Tad Brown to fire some shots of his own.
"Charles would know, his entire Rockets career was fake hustle." Barkley played for the Rockets from 1996-2000, helping them to a western conference finals in 1997.
For now, the Cancun plans will be put on hold.
Game four is scheduled for Sunday with tip-off around 2:30 pm.
photos courtesy sportsyahoo.com; hoopshabit.com; nbanbcsports.com; espn.go.com
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