Rockets Stave Off Atlanta’s Rally, Down Hawks, 122-115
Familiar Scene. Beard Rust. Questionable Lineups.
A familiar scene took place Wednesday night in Atlanta’s State Farm Arena. The Rockets took off early, leading the Hawks 45-29 after the first quarter. Houston led by as many as 23 points in the second quarter, but, to no one’s surprise, the Rockets let another bad team back in the game. Houston let Atlanta cut the lead to 3, before Eric Gordon hit a deep three to keep the Hawks at bay for good, and capped a 122-115 Rockets victory on Wednesday night. After having four days off, Houston was undoubtedly rusty, especially the Beard. James Harden finished with his 15th career 40-point triple-double, but it had a horrid shooting night. The Beard connected on only 9 of his 34 shots, including a miserable 4-for-20 from downtown. With Westbrook resting on the first night of a back-to-back, other Rockets stepped up as Harden couldn’t find his shot late in the game. Trae Young was stellar for the Hawks, getting his own 40-point triple-double. It’s the first time in NBA history opposing players recorded 40-point triple-doubles in the same contest.
Ben McLemore had another stellar game for Houston. Benny Mac shot 6-9 from long range en route to 18 points. McLemore, in the midst of a breakout season, continues to be the surprise of the year for Houston. Clint Capela had one of his best showings of the season, with a monster 22 point, 22 board performance. Throw in 2 blocks and 2 steals to go along with 9-for 14 shooting for good measure. The Rockets’ big fella continues to have a career year after his slow start to the season. Eric Gordon hit the shot of the night. With the shot clock winding down, and a little over two minutes left in the game, Houston led 112-109, as Harden found EG for a deep splash that put the Rockets up 6 and kept the Hawks at bay til the buzzer sounded. Gordon finished with 17 points, but shot only 5-for-14 from the floor as he continues to search for consistency since returning from injury.
For some reason, beyond my comprehension, Mike D’Antoni decided to go with a 7-man rotation against the Hawks. The team with the worst record in the NBA. On the first night of a back-to-back, with the second one upcoming in OKC being a huge game. Isaiah Hartenstein only played four minutes, yet still managed to get a couple points, rebounds, and an assist in limited action. Granted, Westbrook didn’t play, and the Rockets let Atlanta turn a blowout into a contested matchup. At one point, Houston even held a 23-point lead. And there’s no reason for D’Antoni to leave rotational players on the floor with a 23-point lead against a bad team. Especially when your squad is facing much stiffer competition who will be extra motivated to win (the Thunder) on Thursday. Chris Clemons should have played, but saw no action. Thabo Sefolosha also didn’t see the court. These decisions by D’Antoni will only hurt the Rockets in the long run. Maybe he knows something we don’t, otherwise he needs to make better in game lineup-decisions.
Houston gets right back to work, heading to Oklahoma City for a Thursday night national tv affair. Also know as the Westbrook Return Game, as Brodie has yet to play in OKC since becoming a Rocket in the off-season. The Thunder are playing exceptionally well of late, especially Chris Paul. A very familiar face to Houston fans. Thursday night will be emotional, where many familiar faces return to their old stomping grounds. The Thunder are a good team, so don’t expect to see that dreaded familiar scene that happens often, as was on display in Atlanta.