Rockets Can’t Keep Up with Pacers in Indy, Drop Second Straight Loss, 114-107
Lacking Firewood. Silver Lining. Waning Ship.
“He quit,” Rockets broadcaster Calvin Murphy was caught saying about James Harden, thinking his microphone was off as the broadcast headed to commercial. The sad thing is, Murphy’s right. Harden did quit late in the game, as the Rockets couldn’t keep pace in Indiana, falling to the Pacers 114-107. The Beard had another sub-par performance. Despite dishing out 12 assists, Harden scored a meager 15 points, almost twice as less as his average. Simply put, the Beard wasn’t aggressive, and settled for poor shots late when the Rockets mounted a comeback to try and pull off the upset. John Wall was spectacular for the Houston, leading the Rockets with a season-high 28 points. But Houston had no answers for Domantas Sabonis inside. Indy’s star big man had 22 points and grabbed 12 boards, but he was the least of Houston’s problems.
If a silver-lining can be found in the Rockets latest loss, Christian Wood was a late-scratch and didn’t play due to knee soreness. The Rockets sorely missed Wood’s versatility on Wednesday night. Victor Oladipo had 18 points, and Justin Holiday had 20 off the bench for Indy, but the real story of this game was Malcolm Brogdon. Houston had no answers for Brogdon, who had a season-high 35 points, and looked like a perennial All-Star on Wednesday, a night where he was by far the best player on the court. The Rockets held a 10 point lead early in the first quarter, 22-12, but after that, it was all Indiana on Wednesday night, as the Pacers lead from basically start to finish. Houston made it competitive late, even grabbing the lead in the fourth quarter, but they needed more than 15 points from Harden, who really never came to play int he first place. And that signals big problems for Houston.
Since Harden missed the Rockets last win due to injury, he hasn’t been the same player by any means. I don’t know if playing with John Wall isn’t sitting well with Harden, but the Beard needs to show Houston he’s interested in winning, or the Rockets might as well trade him elsewhere. The Rockets can’t win with a fully-invested Harden. And with more losing, comes less potential for Houston’s superstar to stick around. The Rockets have to put these first six games behind them, and focus on their upcoming schedule, which doesn’t get any easier. Houston is 2-4, and has suffered a substantial amount of early-season absences from key players. Still, the Rockets should sitting at 3-3 in the standings at worst this moment. They’re going to have to right the ship, and quickly, before things become disastrous.
Up next for Houston is a matchup with the surprisingly hot Orlando Magic, who are off to a 6-2 start, and sit at 2nd place in the East. And then, the Rockets have two straight games with the defending champs, the Lakers. It’s hard to beat the sane team twice in a row, especially the Champs. The Rockets need to get back on track, and regain some of that magic on the court, and beat an inferior Magic team, before two huge matchups against the LeBron and the Lakers. Someone who never quits. Hopefully, Houston gets Christian Wood back for their game against Nikola Vucevic and the Magic. A loss to Orlando at home, featuring another sub-par performance from Harden, could signal the dreaded foreshadowing of the end of an era. With a new coach and a new system, along with all the injuries, 2-4 after only six games into the season is no time to panic for the Rockets. But with two meetings with the Lakers coming up after Orlando comes to town on Friday, Houston’s matchup with the Magic is a must-win. They can’t enter the bloodbaths with L.A. at a 2-5 record as opposed to sitting 3-4 in the standings. I hope Wednesday’s loss in Indy was just an off-night for the Beard, who was lacking his favorite lob-threat in Wood. It’s still early for the Rockets to right the ship, but Friday’s game, in particular Harden’s performance, will tell you if he’s actually quit on the Rockets, giving Houston a waning ship on their hands.