The parade to the foul line was nearly endless during Game 2 of the Western Conference semifinal series on Wednesday. Between a strategic attempt by the Los Angeles Clippers to send the Houston Rockets’ Dwight Howard to the line as often as possible and James Harden’s uncanny ability to draw fouls, it was hard to find the action between the free-throw attempts.
The strategy to foul Howard was sound; he went 8 for 21 from the line. His futility was eased by Harden’s 15-for-15 performance in the Rockets’ 115-109 victory, which evened the series at 1-1.