Rockets Surge Past Pacers Late, 98-94, Keep Perfect Road-Trip Intact
For the second straight game, neither the Rockets nor their opposition topped 100 points, a rare feat in today’s NBA, where teams commonly put up video game numbers and are scoring at record rates. The best teams can win any style of play and for the second game in a row the Rockets won a game contrary to their style, however the way they won was even more important, due to their improved communication and commitment on the defensive end. Jeff Bzdelik has yet to physically re-join the Rockets, but his presence can already be felt on the defensive end. After allowing 33 points in the second quarter, Houston regrouped at the half and clamped down on Indiana defensively, giving up only 39 second half points to the Pacers. The result was another gritty, low scoring, grind-out victory for the Rockets. Except this time they trailed by as many as 8 points in the 4th quarter and had to put together a complete team effort to rally for the victory. James Harden was stellar with 28 points, 6 assists, and 4 rebounds. Clint Capela continued the longest double-double streak of his career with a solid 18 points and 10 rebounds. In consecutive games, impressive rookie Gary Clark was second on the team in rebounding with 6 boards to go along with 6 points. His improvement and intelligence on the floor for a rookie is outstanding. Coach Mike D’Antoni didn’t reward the guard with a season-high 24 minutes for exceptional talent. Clark buys in to the system and plays hard. It may sound simple, because it is simple. Know your role. Buy into the system. And play hard. P.J. Tucker has done this every single night since he joined the team last season and Clark models his team-first mentality and effort, something the Rockets will need more of from everyone if they want to achieve their ultimate goal and win their 3rd Championship. Carmelo Anthony and Tucker both had huge 3’s late to help seal the comeback win as Houston looks to keep their road-trip perfect with stop 4 of the trip taking place in Oklahoma City against Russell Westbrook and the Thunder. Carmelo Anthony will be facing off against his former team from last season. The Rockets will need to continue to Run As One on this road-trip, contain Westbrook, and they should have a great chance at winning their 4th game in a row.