Houston Chronicle · Apr 25, 2019
Rockets' Nenê makes playoff debut in Game 5
A game after Rockets coach Mike D'Antoni altered his rotation to use small lineups, he made a greater change in Game 5 on Wednesday.
For the first time in the series, he called on veteran center Nenê off the bench. Nenê gave him nine solid minutes (with Kenneth Faried manning the other three when Clint Capela was not on the court), making all three of his shots and getting four rebounds in his two stints in the game.
"I thought we needed some toughness," D'Antoni said. "Nenê, he gave us six points and knocked some people around. That's what Nenê does. Nenê did a heck of a job and we needed that."
