Rockets, Led by CP3 & Capela, Fend off Wolves, 117-102
CP3’s Fresh Returns. Playing with a Full House. Final Dozen.
After a mild start to the game, the Rockets blasted off in the second half to beat the Minnesota Timberwolves, 117-102, on Sunday night. Chris Paul rested in Houston’s previous game, and last night looked fresher than ever on the court. The Point God led the Rockets with 25 points, 10 dimes, and 7 rebounds, in only 29 minutes of action. CP3 hit 6/7 from long range, and led a third-quarter shooting barrage for the Rockets that allowed them stay ahead of the pesky Wolves. Since the All-Star break, Paul in particular has brought fresh returns for Houston, and is the major reason the Rockets are an NBA-best 11-2 since the intermission. Those extra days of rest in the playoffs will pay dividends for CP3 and Houston, if he can remain healthy.
Clint Capela had a strong game going up against Minnesota’s All-Star, Karl-Anthony Towns. Capela finished with 20 points and 13 boards. The rest of the squad is finally active, and with the addition of House, James Harden doesn’t need to score 30 every night like he did earlier in the season when the Rockets were bruised and battered by injuries. On Sunday, Harden had 20 points, to go along with 10 dimes. Houston’s Coach Mike D’Antoni has a good problem on his hands. The entire team can play with confidence, but there are only so many minutes Coach can dole out in a game. The Rockets’ coach made some experiments in last night’s contest with his rotation.
D’Antoni and Houston are now playing with a full house. In the playoffs, rotations are traditionally cut down from 9 or 10 guys to around 7 or 8. Last season, the Rockets only played 7 guys in the playoffs. This season, Houston has 12 guys that can legitimately get playoff minutes. Rookie Gary Clark, is the player most likely to not see much time, but other than that, D’Antoni has 11 guys who all can play. With the exception of House, who continues to thrive, the Rockets have a roster full of experienced, veteran players. On Sunday night, D’Anonti decided to rest Austin Rivers and Kenneth Faried, 2 players who will certainly be in the playoff rotation for Houston. Coach said he was doing it for experimental reasons, but really, it was another tryout for Iman Shumpert.
Shumpert has been underwhelming so far in Houston, to say the least. The Rockets are hoping he will begin to find a groove, but he hasn’t shot the ball well from deep. Shump’s defense has been solid, but he’s been a liability on the offensive end. Shumpert saw 31 minutes of court-time, but only connected on 1 of 4 from deep, and was a minus-10 overall for the game. House, who plays the same position, has been ten times as valuable. Last night House had 14 points, on 5 of 6 shooting, and 7 boards in 28 minutes. Danuel House now has 12 games this season where he’s seen at least 27 minutes of action. In those contests, House’s shooting in all areas of the game is off the charts. He’s shooting 53% from the field, including an incredible 49% from 3-point range. House is also clutch at the line, going 24/28 in those games, for 86%. Houston has a 10-2 in games in which House plays at least 27 minutes. And Chris Paul didn’t play in the 2 losses. What does this mean? House will be getting plenty of playing time. Shumpert’s minutes are likely to be cut. His experience will be useful in certain situations in the playoffs, but at this point, House has rightfully earned more minutes.
Only a dozen games remain on the slate for Houston. The Rockets concluding schedule is fairly easy. Next up, the Rockets travel to Atlanta, and then Memphis, for a back-to-back on Tuesday and Wednesday. Houston should enter the final ten game-stretch with 46 wins heading into a matchup against the red-hot Spurs. But, the Rockets are rolling and can beat anyone right now. Houston may even have a chance to snag the 2-seed from Denver. At the moment, the Rockets are 44-26, and 4 games in the loss column behind the Nuggets. However, Denver has a brutal schedule compared to the Rockets. The Nuggets have still have road games in Boston, Indiana, Oklahoma City, Golden State, Portland, Utah, and a March 28th visit to Houston. A win in that matchup would earn Houston the tiebreaker if the 2 teams finished with the same record at season’s end. All the Rockets need to do is blaze through these final dozen games. After a slow start to the season, Houston is surging in the right direction, at the right time.