The Houston Rockets are so full of physical defenders that Golden State coach Steve Kerr said many look like they could play football.

And with three-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year J.J. Watt watching from a courtside seat Thursday night http://www.ravensauthorizedshops.com/authentic-jaleel-scott-jersey , this team long known for its powerful offense relied again on its defense to beat the Warriors 98-94 and take a 3-2 lead in the Western Conference finals.

"Both teams are playing their guys heavy minutes so shots will fall or not," James Harden said. "But I think whoever can buckle down and get stops consecutively and create opportunities with their defense is going to win or have a chance at winning games.

"The last two games, we've done that."

Indeed. The Rockets bounced back from an embarrassing 41-point loss in Game 3, when Golden State scored 126 points, to hold the Warriors to fewer than 100 points in two straight wins. Houston's stingy defense helped the Rockets come out on top on a night when Harden, the MVP front-runner, was 0 for 11 on 3-pointers.

Critics of Mike D'Antoni's teams often said they were too focused on offense and not good enough on defense. It looks like that's changed now 鈥?against a team with four All-Stars in its starting lineup.

"Ninety-four points for a team like that, the guys are trying to find a way and they did," D'Antoni said.

The Rockets have kept the Warriors from moving the ball the way they're accustomed to, crowding them and forcing them into playing more isolation- style. They've also been relentless at throwing bodies at their shooters, and have often used bigger players to harass Stephen Curry to try and wear him down.

Houston has forced the Warriors into 34 turnovers combined and limited them to 19 total 3-pointers in the last two games.

The Warriors and Rockets were first and second in the NBA in points per game during the regular season, averaging 113.5 and 112.4, respectively. Golden State has managed just over 107 points a game in this series Trevor Bauer Jersey , and Houston has held the defending champions to 97 points in its three wins.

Curry noted that both teams have elevated their defenses in this series.

"It's been high level," he said. "Nothing's easy out there on either side."

He shook his head at the fact neither team has broken 100 points in the last two games.

"I think (if you) guessed what the final score would be between the Rockets and Warriors, and neither team getting to 100 two straight games, don't know what the odds (would be) on that," he said. "Defense is high right now."

While everyone has been pitching in, the tone on defense, especially in these last two games, has been set by the aggressive play of P.J. Tucker and Trevor Ariza, and Clint Capela's presence at the rim. Tucker knows that most people believe the way to beat the Warriors is to outscore them in a shootout. The Rockets have shown that energy and effort on the defensive end are a better formula for getting it done.

"Anybody says to beat Golden State they talk about scoring 120, 130 points," Tucker said. "We just feel like we play defense, (lock) down and make it tough for them."

And if the Rockets are able to do that in Game 6 on Saturday night they'll be on the way to their first NBA Finals since winning consecutive titles in 1994-95.

Ray Lewis and Brian Urlacher, two of the NFL's greatest linebackers Youth Jaire Alexander Jersey , enter the Pro Football Hall of Fame this week. When their teams meet in Thursday night's preseason opener, the game could very well honor them by being a defensive battle.

On one hand, the Chicago Bears are installing a new offense under first-year coach Matt Nagy. On the other side, few if any of the Baltimore Ravens' starters at the offensive skill positions are likely to get much action.

So if this winds up 10-9 or something similar, well, the smiles on the faces of Lewis and Urlacher might get a bit broader.

Nagy has a second-year quarterback, Mitchell Trubisky, who will be taking his first major steps running the new scheme Nagy brought from Kansas City. He seems unconcerned that the second overall pick in the 2017 draft will be overmatched 鈥?even though Trubisky has been an interception machine in practices.

"Our guys have picked up everything that we've asked them to do," Nagy said. "There have been mistakes, but they're way ahead of the learning curve. So that's exciting and it tells me that once we get to the regular season we can do more than I initially thought. But we will be growing throughout the season."

And the preseason.

As for the Ravens, don't look for Joe Flacco in this one. The Hall of Fame game is an extra exhibition outing for the participants, and provides an opportunity for Baltimore coach John Harbaugh and his staff to look at first-round draft pick Lamar Jackson and veteran Robert Griffin III , who is attempting a comeback after not playing last year.

"We have that set Cheap Frank Ragnow Jersey ," Harbaugh said of the QB plans for Thursday night. "I never really talk about that. We just go do it. But we have the quarterback rotation set, and then we'll organize the rest of it ... There'll be some guys who won't play in that game, probably you might guess the guys who haven't practiced as much that first week."

Some other things to watch in the Hall of Fame game:

A FIFTH GAME

The extra preseason contest usually gives low draftees, non-draftees and guys trying to catch on an additional chance to show their stuff. This isn't much different from the final exhibition game, when starters generally sit and others get a last chance to make a roster.

"When you have that extra game, the benefit is it gives you more reps for your players," Nagy said. "The negative is there's health risks, right? So people can get hurt. There's a fine balance of both of those and being able to understand which way you want to go, and right now I feel like our plan as a coaching staff for who we want to play and don't want to play, I feel really good about it."

O-LINE QUESTIONS

Both teams have to find answers regarding their blockers. Baltimore has one of the best in the league in right guard Marshal Yanda, but he's coming off an injury-ravaged 2017 in which he made it into two games.

"That's why they call it training camp," Ravens OL coach Joe D'Alessandris said. "You have an idea of who are going to be your so-called projected players and starters, but that could change overnight. The same thing could happen during the season."

Considering how stationary Flacco can be Martinas Rankin Color Rush Jersey , Baltimore needs to solve the offensive line issues quickly if he is its starter.

Trubisky at least can move around, and there's no question he will be the Bears' first-stringer. Guard Kyle Long's assortment of health issues doesn't help in the quest to solidify the line.

HOMECOMING

This is sort of a homecoming for Trubisky. He played at North Carolina but is from this area (Mentor, Ohio).

"I'm excited. The Hall of Fame game is a great opportunity for this team, and it's a unique place to place," he said. "Just going back to the Hall of Fame, I'll have some family coming to the game. It'll be great to see some family, and it's an exciting time for this team."

NATIONAL ANTHEM

With the NFL's new policy on protocol during the national anthem in limbo as both the league and union discuss it, nothing really has changed from last season. Demonstrations by the players aimed toward awareness of social injustice could occur Thursday night.

BETTING LINE

With legal betting on NFL games in some states, there actually is a line on this game: Baltimore by 2陆 points. How the oddsmakers got there is anyone's guess considering there are 90 players on each roster and many of them will get on the field.

AP Sports Writer David Ginsburg and freelance writer Gene Chamberlain contributed to this report.

.