Houston’s Balanced Attack Blasts Mavs, Rockets Roll 120-104
30 For 30. Five Heads Are Better Than One. Step Up.
Nursing a sore shoulder from the previous game, James Harden still managed 31 points, as the Rockets beat the Mavs 120-104 on Monday night. The Unguardable Tour continued, barely. The Beard had 20 points with 2:30 to go in the game. In a contest that wasn’t close, in a game where Harden’s shoulder was still aching, many expected “the Streak” to come to an end. Harden did what he’s done all season, and proved everyone wrong. The Beard scored 11 points in the last two and half minutes, and reached the 30-point mark for the 30th consecutive game. An astonishing feat. Only the great Wilt Chamberlain has longer streaks of 30+ points, with 31 and 65 (the NBA record). The All-Star break is coming at the perfect time for Harden and the Rockets. The Beard has not been right since the OKC game, where he suffered a shoulder injury. His availability for the All-Star game should be considered questionable, although Harden loves to play, it’ll be hard to keep him off the court. At least Houston can rest assured that Harden’s shoulder will heal over the break (hopefully), and Clint Capela is due for a return the first game after the break. Once the big fella returns, the Rockets will be at full strength for the first time all season.
17 points. James Harden averages more than that per game this season. Usually one, maybe two Rockets will reach the 17-point mark besides Harden. Tonight, Houston had a season-high 5 guys score 17 or more. The Beard got the most help he’s gotten during his “Unguardable Tour,” and it made a big difference. Chris Paul is starting to round back into his All-Star form. He quietly had an efficient game with 17 points and 11 dimes. The Manimal had another solid game, finishing with 17 points and 8 boards. Gerald Green provided a spark off the bench with 19, and Eric Gordon had 18 to round out Houston’s main scoring arsenal. Iman Shumpert played 24 minutes in his home debut, scoring 6 points. Shump continues to feel his way into the new system, and when comfortable, will be a nice fit. The Rockets finally were able to build a lead and hold it, keeping the Mavs at bay until the final buzzer sounded. As amazing as Harden has been this year, having 4 guys contribute besides the Beard helps Houston more than anything. If the Rockets can get more team efforts from the roster, they’ll be unbeatable. But nights like these have proven to be few and far between. Still, it was a step in the right direction as the All-Star break is around the corner.
Only one game remains on the schedule before the break, as Houston will travel up north to face the Minnesota Timberwolves. Monday night’s victory over Dallas was a step up for Houston. The squad is still playing without their 2nd most valuable player, Clint Capela. And, Harden had a sore shoulder and wasn’t himself, not able to garner his usual lift on his shots. Despite these factors, the Rockets won comfortably over the Mavs and held a lead throughout the game. This has been an issue for Houston much of the season, especially against the NBA’s lower echelon. The Rockets mended that issue, or at least didn’t falter like they have so many times this season, losing games they should have won. This was a game they should have won. And Houston did just that, leading the duration of the game after early in the first quarter. The Rockets will try and close out the schedule strong in Minnesota before the squad breaks for the All-Star intermission. Hopefully, that shoulder’s feeling better for Harden. The Rockets proved Monday night they’re able to provide enough help for the MVP before the break hits to muster out one more victory.