Rockets Return Home, Handle Hawks, 119-111
The Streak Ends. Smart Tendencies. Good Signs Ahead.
In the grand scheme of things it really didn’t matter. But, oh my! What a run! James Harden’s incredible scoring streak came to an end on Monday night, but the Rockets prevailed over the Hawks, 119-111. The game was closer than Houston would’ve liked, but a win’s a win. Right now that’s all that matters. The Rockets are attempting to climb into the fight for a top 3 seed in the West. Every game matters, and every win gets Houston closer to this goal. Finishing off Atlanta (a team Houston should beat easily) helped the Rockets move in the right direction. It looks as if they are done losing to bad teams. Trae Young showed flashes of why he’s going to be a great player in this league in the near future. The Hawks’ promising rookie had 36 points on the night, and dished out 8 assists. Although, this is just one game for the Rockets in terms of finally beating a team they should beat, there were positive signs near the end of the contest.
The Beard’s 30-point streak ended at 32 games, the second longest in NBA history. When Harden started the steak, Houston was 12-14 and 13th in the West. During his scoring tear, the Rockets went 21-11. Houston’s currently 35-25 and sits in 5th place in the West. Harden truly played like a superhero during the last few months. He pulled the Rockets from the depths of the West, back into playoff contention. It’s a good thing for Harden, and the Rockets, that the streak ended. The squad has bigger goals to focus on. The Beard finished with 28 points, 5 boards, and 2 assists. He didn’t shoot well. Harden looked as if his shoulder was still bothering him. The Beard had the ball as the clock winded down. He could have shot it and tried to keep his streak going. Instead, Harden let the clock run out. The Rockets MVP knows they’re more important things to this season than a scoring streak. Houston has bigger goals, and now they can all focus in on the final stretch as the playoffs near.
Harden’s decision to dribble the ball out, and not go for 30 points in the dying seconds, is evidence of his maturity as a player. Chris Paul had another stellar outing, 2 days after his night of destruction in Golden State. CP3 finished with 20 points, 8 dimes, and 6 boards. Paul has the highest basketball IQ of any player in the league and is one of the smartest players in NBA history. During Harden’s absence and in this game Paul has shown how valuable he still is to the Rockets. It’s so pivotal Houston has him healthy for their playoff run. If CP3 can stay healthy, the Rockets are still the biggest threat to the Warriors. And it’s not even close. Houston needs to continue to play smart basketball. Now that Harden’s streak is over, the team and the Beard can focus on winning as many of the remaining 22 games as possible. The Rockets can still get the 3 seed (owned by the Thunder). They only trail Oklahoma City by 4 games, with 2 tough matchups coming up for the Thunder against Denver and Philly, respectively. If Houston continues to play with smart tendencies, they have an opportunity to move up in the standings.
It’s time the Rockets finally get mentally ready for the biggest run of the season. The playoffs. The most important run of them all. Houston is finally entirely healthy. This was the first game all season that the Rockets boasted a completely healthy roster. Houston can finally start to gel as a full unit, and “Run as One” en route to the highest playoff seeding they can achieve. Reasonably, the 3 seed is the best outcome. If the Rockets continue to beat the teams they should, they should have a great chance at grabbing the 3 seed for the playoffs. Houston’s proven it can battle with the best of the NBA. Up next are some more average squads as the Rockets travel to Charlotte to face the Hornets before returning home for a game against the Heat. Houston is in a great place to streak some wins together. After all they’ve been through throughout this turbulent season, come playoff time, the Rockets will be prepped to make the ultimate run. The only one that matters.