Rockets Rally Back Behind Harden, EG’s Heroics, Outlast Lakers in OT, 138-134
Splash Gordon Saves the Day. The Show Goes On. Deja-Vu?
Flash Gordon. Splash Gordon. Slash Gordon. Whatever Gordon you know him by, Eric is back, and Houston couldn’t have used his services at a better time. The Rockets trailed by as many as 21, but rallied back behind 48 points from the Beard and 30 from Eric Gordon to beat the Lakers in overtime, 138-134. The deficit was Houston’s largest of the season, but having Gordon in the lineup helped propel them back to victory. 16 of 30 points by Eric Gordon came in the 4th quarter and overtime, including a 3-pointer with 2 seconds left that tied the contest, and saved the game for Houston. EG now has 50 points in 2 games since returning from his knee injury. The Rockets need Splash Gordon to continue his offensive surge while Chris Paul and Clint Capela remain sidelined. If Gordon doesn’t make that 3-pointer with 2 seconds to go, the Rockets would have lost on Saturday night. EG has been absolutely huge since coming back and Houston will rely on his ability to make shots in the clutch as the season moves forward. For the 2nd consecutive game, Harden and Gordon combined for 78 points. Although this time, EG took a little more weight off of Harden’s shoulders. Splash Gordon had 10 more points this game, while the Beard had 10 points less (yet still finished with 48). Right now, EG is Harden’s right-hand man, and the Rockets will rely on him late in games as they did against the Lakers to help ease some of the burden off of the MVP.
Speaking of the MVP, the James Harden Show continued on Saturday night. He scored 48 points, to go along with 8 boards, 6 assists, and 4 steals. The Beard’s assault on NBA-competition doesn’t seem to be coming to a stop any time soon. Harden secured his 19th consecutive game scoring 30 or more points. He can’t be stopped by anyone, and on Saturday night, he had some help from his friends. Eric Gordon was huge late in the game, and finished with 30 points as Harden’s main assistance for the night. James Ennis had his best game as a Rocket. The Menace finished with 18 points in 27 minutes of action. Gerald Green provided another spark off the bench, scoring 17 points, as his consistent play continues. P.J. Tucker had another off shooting night, but his defense and hustle were some of the best I’ve seen him display all season. Tucker was all over the floor for loose balls and shut down Kuzma in key spots late in the game. Nevertheless, the Rockets would not have won this game without the Beard. James Harden now has 165 points in the last 3 games combined, with NONE of them coming on an assist. That might be the most mind-blowing stat of all during this streak. Harden is literally getting every point by himself, while still creating opportunities for teammates, as he’s 4th in the entire league in assists. The Beard’s great passing is getting overlooked because he’s been averaging over 40 points a game for a quarter of the season, and is the most unstoppable offensive force the game has ever seen.
This current force of offensive greatness started against the same team (Lakers) in the same building (Toyota Center) on December 13th. That game featured the early dunk on McGee by the Beard that sent him and the Rockets on a scoring spree, and they’ve yet to look back. Except for a few bad losses to the Magic and Nets, teams they should have beaten, the Rockets have been almost unbeatable since December 13th. Houston has had a bad habit of playing down to its competition at times this season, but hopefully this win over the Lakers will stop this trend. Something about playing the purple and gold at home seems to have a carryover-effect and brings out the best in Harden and the Rockets. The squad hopes that’s the case again this time as the schedule gets more difficult with 2 of the next 3 games against Eastern Conference title contenders, in the Sixers and the Raptors. Optimistically, the Rockets can feel confident about themselves as EG is back playing at a high level, and a new face in Kenneth Faried will help out a thinned front-court, possibly as soon as Monday night, against the Sixers in Philadelphia. The Rockets are looking for Deja-Vu. Last time they beat the Lakers, they went on a streak led by the MVP. This time, they’ll look for the victory to give them a boost during Houston’s upcoming stretch against elite Eastern conference competition.