Harden & Russ Power Rockets Past Celtics, 116-105
Dynamic Duos. Forcing a Turn. Break Time.
“We ride together, we die together, bad boys for life.” An oft-repeated phrase in the Bad Boys film franchise. One that’s been lingering in my head since the Rockets went all-in on the small-ball scheme. On Tuesday night, Houston made sure any bad memories from the previous loss didn’t linger, closing out the Celtics with an impressive 116-105 win on Tuesday night. This was how it was supposed to look… all along. James Harden and Russell Westbrook ruthlessly dominating opponents night-in, night-out. But, it hasn’t been that easy, and Harden and Russ have rarely shared the spotlight. It usually flickers from man to the other, with the Beard or Brodie shining, while the other struggles. However on Tuesday, the NBA’s best duo shared the spotlight with a pair of spectacular performances.
Harden finished with 42 points, 8 boards, and 7 assists. Russ continued his tear of MVP-level play, scoring 36 points to go along with 10 rebound and 5 dimes. When Harden and Russ are both playing to their potential, the Rockets are essentially unbeatable. If you think Houston’s backcourt is their only dynamic duo, you’re not watching closely enough. Robert Covington’s arrival has been in sync with the entire Rockets team, but most specifically P.J. Tucker. There tenacious combination on defense has been as much to marvel at as Houston’s All-Stars’ offensive heroics.
Since trading for Covington, the Rockets have forced the most turnovers in the NBA, and it’s not even close. Houston leads there list with 73 forced since RoCo’s arrival. The Sixers are second, with 55 forced turnovers. Houston’s stepped up their defensive intensity as they’ve gone small. And the numbers only back this up.
Houston now heads into the All-Star break. All-Stars Harden and Westbrook will head to Chicago to participate in the All-Star game, while others like P.J. Tucker, rest and recover for the NBA’s stretch run. 10 of the Rockets first 1t5 games out of the break are against teams with losing records. Houston needs to be ready to blast off starting the 20th in San Francisco, with a matchup against the Warriors, and a chance to redeem their disappointing Christmas loss. The Rockets need to channel the fire they bring against contenders and use it against every team the rest of the way. Houston is currently in the fifth spot, but only sit 3 games out of second. It’s achievable, the first seed still isn’t out of the question completely. The Rockets will need to go on a complete tear to make that a reality. A reality that won’t be going away any time soon with this team. Win or lose, with this Houston team… it’s small ball for life.