CP3 and the Green Light Return, Rockets Stomp Spurs, 136-105
Sometimes a little help from the doc is all you need. And several Rockets players who were nursing injuries returned to spark the squad to a MUCH-needed 31-point demolition over the struggling Spurs in San Antonio. Houston led from start to finish, just about, and built a 23-point lead by halftime. The Rockets shots’ were falling, and their defense was aggressive that left the Spurs tired and careless. CP3 was his usual floor-leading self (14 points, 10 assists, 5 rebounds) while Gerald Green (aka Green Light) had 11 points to go along with 3 boards and dimes apiece, didn’t miss a beat bringing energy off a recovering Houston bench. James Harden had another near triple double and Eric Gordon continued his hot steak, splashing seven 3’s for 26 points on the night. Clint Capela had another monstrous double-double (27 points, 12 boards) in a season full of them. Capela has more than proven he can play with the best of the NBA’s big men (he outplayed Spurs All-Star LaMarcus Aldridge tonight), and if Clint keeps this up, he deserves an All-Star nod for the first time in his career. Newcomer Danuel House received the most minutes out of new Rocksts in the rotation, and continued to build on his solid play after being brought up from the G-League. Most importantly though, besides the stellar all-around play, was the rest provided for guys like the Beard, P.J. Tucker, Capela, EG, and others who’d been tasked with logging heavy minutes due to CP3 and other teammates’ injuries. This game also proved, that when healthy, the Houston Rockets are still one of the best teams in the league, and the main contender to dethrone Golden State. Red Nation is 9-4 when The Beard and CP3 both play, a winning percentage near .700, lethal for a team in this year’s barbaric West. It’s still only one game, but the Rockets have to approach the season as an onslaught of one-game battles, as they themselves battle to get back atop the standings in the merciless Western Conference. Houston dealt the Spurs their second consecutive loss by 30 or more, a rarity in the Popovich era. The Rockets can’t let their foot off the gas. Houston will aim to bring this swagger, spurred by their Alamo City thrashing, back home tomorrow night when the Chicago Bulls come to town. They’re coming off a 107-88 defeat in Detroit last night, and the Rockets hope to do the same to the Bulls in H-Town on Saturday night.