Harden’s 44 Lift Rockets Over Suns, 118-110
20 for 40. Manimal Manhandler. Moving Up.
Everybody won on Monday in the Valley of the Sun. James Harden got to play in front of his Arizona State fans, and the MVP led the Rockets to a 118-110 victory over the Suns in Phoenix. The 30-Point Streak wasn’t coming to an end in the desert. The Beard honed his college skills at nearby ASU, and still has a plethora of fans in the Phoenix area. Harden had 44 points, including 14 in the 4th quarter to help stave off a Suns comeback-attempt. It was his 20th game this season with 40 points, and Harden’s 27th straight with 30 or more. The Rockets won for the 10th straight time in Phoenix, and have beaten the Suns in the teams’ last 9 matchups.
The Unguardable Tour continued, and Phoenix had no answer for the Beard’s mastery. Chris Paul assisted Harden when the game got dicey in the final quarter. Houston’s star backcourt scored all but 2 points in the 4th quarter, combining for 22 of the 24 in the final period. CP3 looks like he’s slowly coming back to form. He had 18 points, 5 rebounds, and 4 dimes. The Point God allowed Harden to get a breather here and there so he could exert with more effort and efficiency late in the game. Together, with the help of the Manimal, they helped keep the Suns at bay.
Kenneth Faried had himself another solid game. The Manimal continues to impress. Faried manhandled Phoenix’s frontline on the glass, en route to 17 points and 14 boards. It was his 5th double-double in 6 games. The newest Rocket continues to impress beyond anyones expectations. His energy level was expected. But Faried’s seamless ability to learn D’Antoni’s system and gel with the chemistry of the squad is a unique skillset all in its own. Houston is lucky to have the Manimal, and he’s been a lifesaver in Clint Capela’s absence.
Only 4 games remain until the All-Star break. Capela is expected to return after the break. Hopefully, the Rockets only have 4 more games without their big fella out of the lineup. Eric Gordon also missed tonight’s game. Houston hopes to have him back Wednesday. With the Spurs loss to the Kings, the Rockets move up back to the 5th spot in the standings out West. With 29 games to go, Houston has the opportunity to get home court advantage in the conference, and one of the top seeds.
The Rockets got some help from the Suns tonight. Phoenix is obviously in tank-mode and tryin’ for Zion. Devin Booker and DeAndre Ayton, their 2 best players, were nowhere to be found late in the game when it mattered. Their rookie coach, Igor Kokosvok, wasn’t subtle about tanking, and the Rockets caught a slight break. That won’t be the case for Houston in their next game. The aforementioned Kings just snapped the Spurs 5-game winning streak, and helped the Rockets move up a notch. Houston won’t be getting any help from Sacramento on Wednesday. The Rockets are going to have to beat a young, talented Kings team that is inches out of a playoff spot. Sacramento isn’t tryin’ for Zion, and on Wednesday, only one team is winning.