Fit For a Beard: Rockets Overpower Kings, 127-101
Dominant Exhibition. Gearing Up. Streaking.
Well, so much for a tussle in Sacramento. The NBA’s MVP wasted no time getting off to a hot start on Wednesday night. Harden fueled the Rockets to a dominant 127-101 victory over the Kings in Sacramento. The Beard finished with 36 points, extending his 30-point streak to 28 games. Harden had plenty of help as Houston brought forth its best team-effort of the road-trip. The Rockets had 6 players score in double-figures, and brought the intensity on defense to intimidate a young Kings squad. De’Aaron Fox managed only 6 points against Houston’s defense.
The Rockets broke the game open in the 2nd quarter, outscoring the Kings by 27 points in the period. Gerald Green had 25 off the bench, and Chris Paul had 15 points and 11 assists to guide the offense. Eric Gordon chipped in with 20 points. When Splash Gordon is effective on both ends of the floor, Houston’s almost impossible to beat. Kenneth Faried had another double-double, and the Rockets showed Kings fans what a contender looks like in person.
Houston’s starting to click on all cylinders, despite some issues defensively that still need to be addressed. Faried has now cemented his role as part of the Rockets frontcourt. Once Clint Capela returns after the All-Star break, Houston will be the healthiest they’ve been all season. Throw in the addition of Rivers and Faried to a healthy roster, and the Rockets have arguably the deepest team in the league. They also picked up Iman Shumpert via trade, and Nik Stauskas. Shumpert, a gritty wing who defends with ferocity, can knock down the open three. A perfect fit in D’Antoni’s system. Stauskas, aka “Sauce Castillo”, is primarily a 3-point shooter and could potentially play well in Houston. The trade deadline is Thursday afternoon. Daryl Morey always has a trick up his sleeve. Don’t be surprised if more moves are made before the deadline strikes.
The Rockets, believe it or not, currently have the longest winning streak in the Western Conference. Only 3 games, but they’re 3 blowout road wins and impressive victories. Houston needs to carry this momentum they gathered at the end of the road trip back home. A storm is coming to Houston on Saturday night. Russell Westbrook and the Thunder come to town. OKC has won 8 of 10 games. The Rockets will need to get off to a hot start back home if they want to keep streaking in the right direction. Saturday night’s contest will be a challenging test… a Russell-infused tussle.