D’Antoni sees stops as the key to more 3-pointers
The Rockets during the regular-season were the first team in NBA history to take more than half their shots from beyond the 3-point line, but in the first two games of the series against Utah, just 39 percent of their attempts have been 3s. In 82 games of the season and five games against the Timberwolves, they had attempted fewer than 40 percent of their shots from beyond the 3-point line just four times.
“We took 37 (in Game 2) instead of 44 (the Rockets’ average attempts in the first round) or 42 (their average during the season.) The looks are the same,” Rockets coach Mike D’Antoni said. They’re doing a good job of running us off and they really concentrate on staying at home because they have (Rudy) Gobert. We knew that coming into the series. We’re not going to get 50 3s up.
“To counteract that, we have to get stops and get in transition. That’s where 3s come from a lot of times, from a defense like this. We didn’t do that. It’s kind of tied in with your defense.”
The Rockets made just one 3-pointer in transition Wednesday. The most 3-pointers they made in any quarter was the three on 10 attempts they made in the third quarter.
“In the third quarter, we got some good 3s, good looks,” D’Antoni said. “We hit them. They’re wide open because our defense generated that. We have to get back to that.”
The Rockets made 10 of 37 3-pointers Wednesday, matching their worst 3-point shooting in seven postseason games. They had made 17-of-32 (53.1 percent) in Game 1, their best 3-point shooting game in the playoffs.
“The shooting will come and go,” D’Antoni said. “Some guys will get hot. Some guys have to find themselves. That’s normal. We don’t sweat about it.
“We didn’t make them. They made them.”
The Jazz generally limit the number of 3s teams take, but ranked just 17th in 3-point percentage defense in the regular season, allowing 36.5 percent shooting on 3s. The Rockets, who ranked seventh in 3-point percentage defense, made 43.5 percent in the regular season against the Jazz.
“It was more about them not falling,” Rockets forward Luc Mbah a Moute said. “We really got some good shots. We made up for a lot of stuff, too. We scored 108 and didn’t shoot the ball well from 3. We were able to find some other ways to score. That was encouraging. We got some good looks. Give them credit. They’re a good defensive team, one of the best in the league. They made it tough for us, but we have to stay with it. That’s what we do.”
Small-ball option will stay in play
The Rockets used their small lineups, with P.J. Tucker or Ryan Anderson, at center for stretches of Wednesday’s game, with the Rockets making a run late in the first half without a traditional center on the floor, but with less success in the third and fourth quarters.
Rockets coach Mike D’Antoni said he could look at using those lineups again, as he had successfully during the regular season against the Jazz, but will initially stick with Nene as his first substitute at center.
“He (Anderson) has to produce,” D’Antoni said. “I like some of it. A little is about (how) you feel in the game. We’ll go back to Nene and see how that goes.
“It’s just a general read of the game. Hopefully, I’ll read it right. Might not. I know I left P.J. in a little too long in the third and he might have got a little tired. We have to watch that. I’ll try to up Luc (Mbah a Moute’s) minutes a little bit. He’s been at 16, 17 minutes. Now, I think it’s time to get up to the 20s. Little adjustments we have to make rotation-wise and then read who’s going and not going.”
Anderson has taken just three shots in the series, missing them all. Mbah a Moute is 2-of-9. Nene has not scored and in one four-minute stint in each game has just three rebounds.