Harden’s 44 Lifts Rockets Past Grizzlies, 107-100
No Bad Wins. House Key. Shuffling the Deck.
It won’t be remembered as the best win of the season, but Houston accomplished their mission. And, there’s no such thing as a “bad win” in this NBA full of parity and new rosters. Not when you’re playing against professionals. It wasn’t a masterpiece, but the Rockets did enough to earn the victory over the Grizzlies, 107-100, on Monday night in Memphis. James Harden led the way for Houston with 44 points, 10 boards, and 6 assists. The Beard had his best shooting night of the season from downtown, going 7-for-16. Harden had help along the way. Eric Gordon chipped in with 16 points in his highest-scoring game of the year. The veteran shooting guard continues to struggle finding his shot. EG went 5-for-17 from the floor on Monday night. He provided the highlight play of the game, a ferocious dunk that set the tone for Houston to finish off Memphis in the second half. The Rockets led by only 2 points at the half, 62-60. However, they clamped down on defense in the second half, allowing only 40 points after the break. Ja Morant led the way for the Grizzlies with 23 points on an extremely efficient 10-of-16 shooting. The prized rookie has the potential to be a future superstar in this league. Barring injuries, Morant’s floor is at least an NBA All-Star. His play and attitude was impressive on the court. Most notably his aggressive in attacking the basket. A trait the Rockets need to make more of a habit, instead of settling for so many threes. Houston didn’t shoot poorly from deep, but the weren’t great. The Rockets went 17-for-50 (34%) from long range, a mark that won’t beat the NBA’s elite. As Gordon continues to struggle finding his shot, a few other Rockets have emerged on the scene, worthy of more playing time.
Houston Coach Mike D’Antoni has shuffled the deck with his lineup, and with Westbrook resting on Monday, more Rockets had time to step up. Danuel House continues to be sensational. House had 15 points, 9 rebounds, and 3 blocks against Memphis. The Houstonian has been the most efficient player on the floor all season for the Rockets. House’s effort and energy are infectious, and hopefully the other Rockets can follow his lead in this department. Despite being benched against Miami to try and give Eric Gordon a spark, House’s attitude and hustled haven’t wavered. He continues to be an aggressive spark for Houston on both ends of the floor, one of the few bright spots for the Rockets in this rough early season. The rest of the roster needs to play with House’s energy and enthusiasm. It’s a key factor that will determine if Houston can reach their potential as title contenders.
Westbrook returns on Wednesday, it will be interesting to see if House or Gordon gets the start. Gordon’s coming off his best game of the season. To be brutally honest, it still wasn’t great, and Gordon is still having one of the worst seasons in the entire league. Maybe Monday’s win was a move in the right direction for Splash Gordon. Houston needs him to get back to his old self. Another bright spot, and the most surprising player of this young season, has been Ben McLemore. Along with House, “Benny Mac” has been absolutely sensational on defense and in the hustle department. McLemore also seems to be the only guy shooting well from downtown besides House. He’s earned more minutes, playing substantially more in November. Last night, Benny Mac played a season-high 30 minutes. He had 12 points on a sub-par shooting-night. Despite their below average shooting nights, House and McLemore make a difference every possession they’re on the floor. Their energy on defense needs to catch on with the rest of the roster, as the two have helped the Rockets stay afloat during this rough start to the season.
Houston is now 4-3 and heads back home for their next game on Wednesday night. A game against the 5-time defending Western Conference champion Golden State Warriors. Luckily for the entire NBA, this team has completely shuffled the deck from the Bay Area Dynasty of years past, which is basically entirely injured. The Rockets have no reason to lose on Wednesday night against this depleted Golden State roster. There’s no such thing as a bad win in this league, but a home defeat to the depleted Warriors would certainly qualify as a bad loss. Possibly the worst of the season.