Rockets Thrash Warriors, 107-86, New Pieces Starting to Fit Nicely
It was rocking at Toyota Center on Thursday night. The decibel meter hadn’t been higher all season as Houston coasted to 21-point victory over the Golden State Warriors in front of a sellout crowd. The Rockets played like a team that was ready for a challenge. They were exceptional on defense and looked as comfortable as they have on both ends of the court as a collective team. Gary Clark hit a few key 3-pointers and was exceptional yet again in his reserve role, truly earning his minutes in the rotation that would have gone mainly to Carmelo Anthony had Melo been able to fit and work in the Rockets system. However, Anthony is not a stand and shoot kind of player. At this position the Rockets need stand and shoot guys like P.J. Tucker, Gary Clark, and James Ennis. As a primary scorer for most of his career, Carmelo Anthony needs the ball to be effective as a shooter. And last night, Clark and James Ennis proved why they are more of capable for picking up the slack from the Melo signing, and more importantly, the holes left in the rotation from Trevor Ariza and Luc Mbah a Moute. James Ennis is on a role and finally looks like the player I expected him to be as the main replacement for Trevor Ariza. His tenacious defense and deadly shooting was a key reason the Rockets beat the Champs so easily. Ennis’ 19 points is a season high and he turned another brilliant performance, as now, he finally looks more comfortable than ever in a Rockets uniform. It’s also important to note that last season, after Luc Mbah a Moute’s shoulder injury, he was essentially a non-factor in the latter stage of the regular season and the entire postseason. So, Houston really only has one hole to fill and Ennis and Clark are really starting to prove they are more than up to the task of contributing in the areas that Ariza was so effective for the Rockets last season. It’s also a pleasant surprise to see Isaiah Hartenstein contribute as well. “Hustlestein” gives Houston much needed depth in the frontcourt, and provided the highest +/- of any Rockets last night with a +27 in only 15 minutes. The big man also brings hustle and grit and seems to hit the hardwood in every game. These new contributions will take time to be fully integrated in D’Antoni’s system, but since Melo’s departure, the new Rockets’ progress and developed even faster to help the team to 3 straight wins. Granted, the Warriors were without Stephen Curry, but they still had their other 3 All-Stars (Kevin Durant, Klay Thompson, and Draymond Green) and were held to 30 points combined against a smothering Rockets defense that is focusing on details and communicating better than they have all season. Golden State’s starters didn’t make a single 3-point shot for the first time since 2013. Houston’s defense is really starting to come around as the offense slowly returns to form. The Rockets are starting to look more and more like the contender many were expecting from the start of the season. If the Rockets can continue to integrate the new players seamlessly into D’Antoni’s system, stay healthy, and continue to improve their communication, they have a great chance to not only be better than last season’s team, but be the NBA’s last team standing come June. Especially with a Warriors team on the brink of imploding, the Rockets got a taste of what they’ll need to do moving forward to continue their recent success. Up next, the Sacramento Kings come to town Saturday night as the Rockets will try and push their winning streak to 4 games.