James Harden had 28 points, 12 assists on 10 of 18 shooting, the Rockets shot 52 percent from the field, and 44 percent from three, and Houston ties up the series at two apiece.
Kawhi Leonard and LaMarcus Aldridge both had 16 points, and Jonathon Simmons had 17 off the bench. The Rockets made 19 threes in their blowout win in which Kawhi Leonard didn't even play the fourth quarter.
Recap
The Houston Rockets have shown some opposites when it comes to shooting in this series. In game one they couldn't miss what they were throwing up. In games two and three it seemed like they hadn't shot a ball in months.
But here we are in game four and the Rockets completely dominate from beyond the arc again. In game one they hit 22 threes, Sunday Night they hit 19.
James Harden looked great after getting over a chest cold, he shot an efficient 10 for 18 from the floor, and this is when he's dangerous. When Harden can dominate the game without shooting 30 times, then the Rockets become so much more deadly as a team.
Eric Gordon contributed well off the bench, scoring 22 points. Trevor Ariza and Ryan Anderson both shot the ball well, shooting a combined 5 of 10 from the three-point line.
Spurs keys for game 5
The first huge key for San Antonio is their tight defense on shooters. They got away with some bad shooting in games 2 and three by the Rockets, but the Spurs cannot rely on off shooting to be the way they win.
This Rockets team is too good at shooting the ball that even with highs and lows, they will still walk away with this series.
San Antonio has to play tight on shooters, whether it be fighting through pin-downs or when they have to defend dribble penetration. At some point, the Spurs will need to surrender more points in the paint to limit shooting.
Rockets keys for game 5
This series for Houston is starting to look one that the Rockets will live or die in by shooting the ball. The good news for them is that they seem to dominate the Spurs when they can hit shots. The Spurs can't keep up with the speed or consistency that the Rockets can do.
The primary goal for game 5 is to get that rhythm back.
This is a huge game for both teams because statistically, the team who wins game five usually wins the series. The Rockets need to come to life shooting the ball, and this starts with their energy and urgency. Attacking the rim and getting easy kick-outs should be their big goal in game 5.
