Complete Team Effort Leads Rockets to Smash Kings, 130-105
Royal Beatdown. Splashtown. Gearing Up.
Houston came out aggressive and put away Sacramento early on Tuesday night. The Rockets had 30 assists behind a team effort and squashed the Kings, 130-105. James Harden led the way with 36 points and 10 assists, in only 29 minutes of action. Eric Gordon continued his consistent play, finishing with 19 points. Danuel House almost brought the house down with one of the dunks of the season, and had a fantastic all-around game, scoring 19 points. The victory was one of Houston’s best team-wins of the season, with 9 different Rockets playing at least 20 minutes. Kenneth Faried, in his first game since missing 3 contests to injury, played only 21 minutes. Yet, the Manimal was the only Rocket to get a double-double in the win, finishing with 12 points and 11 boards. Faried manages to stay ultra efficient and productive. The Manimal’s energy was missing from Houston’s previous game against Sacramento. Faried is a big reason why this contest wasn’t nearly as close as Saturday night’s in Houston.
The Rockets came out firing from long-range, tying their previous NBA-record, with 26 3-pointers on Tuesday night in Sacramento. When the Rockets connect from deep, they’re nearly impossible to beat. Nights like Tuesday in Sacramento show the NBA world that Houston’s potential to win it all is real. Houston had everyone except Clint Capela and Gary Clark connect from beyond the arc. Clark missed on several attempts late to get the record. Harden led the way with 7 long bombs in only 29 minutes. Gordon went 5 for 10, as Splash Gordon continues to thrive in the starting lineup. And Danuel House proved he definitely belongs in the playoff rotation, connecting on 4 of 10 from deep. Hopefully, the Rockets can produce stellar 3-point shooting nights like these in the playoffs. They’ll need to in order to win it all.
After the game, House was asked about his great game and the team’s stellar all-around win. “We’re just gearing up for the playoffs,” House replied. With Gerald Green’s return on the horizon (possibly Wednesday night), the Rockets will be at full strength, as they try and figure out the best playoff rotation. They’re also gearing up, as House said. Houston is now 17-3 in their last 20 games. The Rockets are playing some of their best basketball at the right time. With the playoffs seemingly in sight, Houston needs to keep their foot on the pedal. The Rockets still have a chance at the second seed, with help from Denver and Portland. Up next, no rest for the Rockets, as Houston travels to Los Angeles for a tussle with the Clippers on Wednesday night. It’s the second night of a back-to-back, and the Clippers are playing some of the best basketball in the entire league. Many Clippers are former Rockets dealt in the Chris Paul trade. These teams don’t like each other, to put it nicely. Houston needs to come out ultra aggressive, even more so than tonight, to get a victory in their toughest game left on the schedule.