DETROIT – The Houston Rockets were willing to take whatever the Spurs gave them in Game 1 of the Western Conference semifinals.
Houston ended up with a record-setting offensive performance, a huge boost in confidence and home-court advantage.
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Trevor Ariza scored 23 points, James Harden added 20 points and 14 rebounds, and the Rockets stormed past San Antonio 126-99 on Monday night, the Spurs' worst loss in a series opener under Gregg Popovich.
Popovich was asked post-game about the loss. His response was classic Pop.
"We lost. And they won and they played better."
"We lost. And they won and they played better."
Pop gonna Pop... pic.twitter.com/AyHzgPpZXu
— NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) May 2, 2017
"Just taking what the defense gives us," Harden said. "Last series (against Oklahoma City) was a more grind-it-out. We weren't really making a lot of 3s. We had to figure a way to get paint points and in this series so far they gave opportunities to shoot 3s."
The Rockets were 22 for 50 behind the arc, the most 3s attempted and made against the Spurs in their long postseason history.
Houston had six players in double figures, including 20 points and 13 rebounds from Clint Capela.
"They came out ready, they outplayed us tonight," said Spurs forward LaMarcus Aldridge, who was held to four points. "They made most of their shots. Guys competed, but I thought we made mistakes early. They took advantage of it. Once they had offensive rhythm they were rolling. And we never really found ours."
Game 2 is Wednesday in San Antonio.
The forecast in San Antonio: twelve 👌's from the @HoustonRockets in the first half. #NBAPlayoffs 💦 pic.twitter.com/m4HqaULpDb
— NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) May 2, 2017