Rockets Shoot Down Wolves, 125-105, Win 7th Straight
The Others. Showing Up. Classic Average Nights.
They weren’t supposed to win this one. In the James Harden-era of Rockets Past, Houston never would have won this game. The third in four nights. On the road against a decent Minnesota team. Minus four of their best six players. But, this isn’t the past. Saturday night presented no letdown. Houston showed the depth they possess this year and rocked the Wolves, 125-105, for their 7th straight win. The Rockets fended off a gritty, young Minnesota team who could potentially sneak into the playoffs this season. A close contest was blown open by Houston in the fourth, with a 9-0 run to start the quarter. This year’s Rockets have heart and talent seemingly everywhere on the roster. Oh, and they still have that guy called “The Beard.” Harden did Beard-like stuff, scoring 49 points, with 6 dimes and 5 boards for good measure. He led the way for Houston, but the Rockets needed others to show up to get this victory, and “The Others” responded.
Ben McLemore had another stellar outing, with 20 points, including 4 long bombs. Benny-Mac has shown he deserves more playing time on Houston’s roster. McLemore has been on a roll since the Rockets were bit by the injury bug, getting the action needed to show he deserves a rotational spot on the roster. Chris Clemons and Isaiah Hartenstetin, two players who began the week in the G-League, had career games in Houston’s win. Chris Clemons provided a huge spark for the Rockets, scoring a career-high 19 points, including 5 high-archers from deep. When Harden got his first breather in the 2nd quarter, CC3 did the most damage, and kept Houston in the contest. Isaiah Hartenstein, the other Rocket called up from their G-League affiliate this week, had a huge game inside for Houston. The big man saw 30 minutes of action, the most in his professional career, and he made those minutes count. Hartenstein had a career-high 16 rebounds and was exceptional defensively, keeping Karl-Anthony Towns from having a huge night for the Wolves. Austin Rivers was also tremendous, chipping in with 19 points while holding usual Rocket-killer Jeff Teague to only 8 points.
It wasn’t a terrible shooting night for Harden, but he’s seen better nights. The Beard hoisted a career-high 41 shot attempts, not surprising given all the injuries. Harden ended up connecting on 16 shots, finishing with 49 points on the evening. Which shouldn’t come as much surprise if you’ve been watching Harden play this season. He’s scored 40 points in over half (7) of Houston’s games (13) this season. For most players, scoring 40 is a career-milestone. For Harden, it’s just another average night. At 39.5 PPG, the Beard is almost averaging 40 points a game. Don’t take this for granted. There’s a reason the gap is that large between Harden and the next guy, Giannis Antetokounmpo, at 30.1 ppg. Scoring 40 is no easy feat, but the Beard makes it appear he can sleepwalk his way to 40 points. And the next time he drops 40, which will probably be Houston’s next game, it’ll just be another classic average night for the Beard. But the next time anyone else in this league scores 40, its headline news. They’re not expected to score 40 points. James Edward Harden is expected to score 40 points. An expectation that for other players is a hopeful prediction. A man who’s “average” nights would be “classic” nights for anyone else. One of the greatest pure scorers the game’s ever seen. Harden was born to score the basketball. He makes a living cooking up 40-Burgers… and it’s become a nightly occasion this season, Harden’s Classic Average Nights. Houston heads back home for their next game on Monday against the disappointing Blazers. One the Rockets are supposed to win. And Houston doesn’t need Harden to have a career night… just an average night. All of them are classics.