Hot Hand Harden: Rockets Rally, Topple Mavs in OT, 153-149
Texas-Tuned Up. Bubble Predators. Red Resilience.
“I ain’t got time to bleed,” Blain Cooper says in Predator, the late 80’s classic action film. And if this season was a movie, the Rockets don’t have time to bleed. James Harden was knocked to the ground early after tip-off, before even attempting a shot. It didn’t matter. The Beard’s arguably the league’s toughest player, and put on a show in Houston’s first game in the NBA’s bubble. Harden finished with 49 points to lead the Rockets to a comeback 153-149 overtime victory. This one wasn’t easy. Dallas shot the ball well the entire game, and Luka Doncic finished with triple-double despite fouling out late. Kristaps Porzingis (aka “The Unicorn”) tallied an impressive 36 points and 16 boards. The Rockets trailed by 7 points with 45 seconds in the game, and entering Friday, historically, NBA teams were 2-711 when placed in this situation. But Brodie and the Beard combined for 80 points, and were too much for the Mavs, as were some clutch shots from other Rockets late in the game. Houston rallied to force OT, and bonus basketball brought death to the hopes of Dallas.
Despite a dominant performance from the NBA’s best backcourt, it was more than just Brodie and the Beard that fueled the Rockets on Friday night. Seven of the eight players who saw court time scored in double figures. Danuel House led the squad with six bombs from deep, and finished with 20 points. Ben McLemore didn’t miss from beyond the arc in only 14 minutes, connecting on all four of his threes for 13 points. Without Eric Gordon, three of Houston’s most lethal threats from distance (Tucker, McLemore, House) combined to shoot 12-for-19, translating to an otherworldly 63% from behind the three-point line. The Rockets need this kind of shooting in Gordon’s absence to fill the void EG leaves on the roster.
Houston’s newest addtion, Robert Covington, started 0-for-8 from three-point land. And usually, when a player who’s never been an All-Star is 0-for-8 from distance, he’s riding the bench. But RoCo isn’t just any player. Covington made the play of the game, tipping in a missed Harden free throw to tie the game with about four seconds left. The Rockets forced overtime, where RoCo finally hit a big three to extend the lead, and Harden and co. finished off a gutty overtime victory in a crazy first game in the bubble. It doesn’t get any easier for the squad. Next up, they take on the Milwaukee Bucks in potential NBA Finals preview. The Bucks beat the Houston on opening night at Toyota Center. Milwaukee has just about secured the top seed out East. On Sundayn night, Harden and the Rockets can’t afford to relax like they did in the first half against Dallas. For Houston, every game’s monumental, and this next one’s a statement game… the Rockets ain’t got time to bleed.