On May 20,
the Thunder faced the Rockets in G2.
James Harden had an extraordinary night, with a scorching-hot shooting touch.
He went 14-for-24 from the field, 5-for-9 from three, and 8-for-10 from the free-throw line, exploding for 41 points, 4 rebounds, and 7 assists.
Paul added a double-double with 23 points, 3 rebounds, and 10 assists.
The CP3-Harden Combination came through together on their second home court. In the final crucial moments, Harden hit a step-back three over his man to kill the game, leading the Rockets to a narrow, two-point victory over the Thunder.
124–122. The series was tied at 1–1.
For the Thunder, Westbrook's form had dipped. He went just 8-for-20 from the field, finishing with 24 points, 11 rebounds, and 6 assists.
Westbrook's outside shot was ice-cold that night, which allowed the Rockets to collapse their defense and send help at Paul.
That, in turn, also lowered Westbrook's efficiency in isolation.
Donovan was also a little slow to react. By the time he realized he needed to switch things up and shift the team's offensive focus, the Rockets were already up by 12.
Chen Xi went supernova in the third quarter, hitting four of his five threes and scoring 18 points in the period to help the team tie the game.
But in the end, they came up just short when it mattered. Chen Xi's contested three for the win missed, and Harden walked away with the victory.
Chen Xi went 12-for-19 from the field, finishing with 32 points, 3 rebounds, and 4 assists, but it wasn't enough.
Butler didn't play particularly well either. Both of them had shooting touches that came and went, and it was especially noticeable in the Playoffs.
He went 7-for-16 from the field and 1-for-6 from three, finishing with just 18