Rockets Blow By Weakened Warriors for Balanced 129-112 Victory
Cruise Control. Sort-of-Revenge. Bad Habits at Bay.
Finally, the road to winning a game as expected happened for Houston. The Rockets got off to a slow start but broke loose in the second quarter, and hammered Golden State, 129-112, on Wednesday night. James Harden had 36 points and 13 assists to pace Houston. Alec Burks had 28 to lead the Warriors, but they just didn’t have enough talent to keep up with Harden and company. Golden State’s playoff chances look dim, especially after the recent injuries to Stephen Curry and Draymond Green. With Klay Thomspson expected out for the season, the Warriors have a mountain to climb if they want to return to the playoffs. After a contested start, the Rockets kept the lead on cruise control in the second half. It was the first time all season they didn’t have to sweat out the victory. Houston had their most balanced game of the season as they try and make a push up the crowded Western Conference standings. Russell Westbrook returned from load management with 18 points, 8 boards, and 6 assists. P.J. Tucker had his season high, notching 22 points, on 9 for-22 shooting. Danuel House Jr. continues to thrive in the energy and efficiency departments. The hometown product was the usual pest for the opposition on defense. House also finished with 17 points, and went 4-for-5 from deep as he continues to thrive from downtown. And Clint Capela finally had a night where he looked like a return to form could be on the horizon. Houston’s big man dropped 19 points, grabbed 16 boards, and blocked 6 shots in his best game of the season. Capela has struggled mightily this year. Hopefully, this result will get him back on track to achieving potential All-Star worthy performances on a nightly basis.
All of these stats are somewhat meaningless because Golden State is one of the worst teams in the league this year. Nonetheless, it’s a sign the Rockets are moving in the right direction. Houston needs to repeat these balanced efforts against winning teams to prove they’re amongst the NBA’s elite. Despite the Warriors’ superstars missing the game with injuries, the Rockets some sort of revenge. Beating a team that has been the ire of their dreams for 5 years. Having your season fall short to the same franchise 4 out of 5 years. Something that’s always going to sting, no matter who’s donning the jerseys for Golden State’s franchise. The Beard managed trolled the Warriors in a subtle manner after the game. He responded to a reporter with the remark, “Hopefully Klay, KD, & Steph get back soon.” Acting like he doesn’t know Durant is in Brooklyn, the jab was funny. Harden knows all too well, like the rest of us, that Durant is a Net. The Beard also knows the Warriors won’t be good for a very long time. His remark was a way of saying “hopefully all those superstars will get back healthy, because that’s the only way Golden State can be a contender.” And Harden happens to be right. The Rockets need to use their defeats, like past crushing ones at the hands of the Warriors, as motivation. They need to channel this energy and balance of play all nights. It can’t just be when you’re beating up on an old rival. This blowout was just one regular season victory, but Houston needs to keep tallying up wins in a Western Conference thats more competitive than ever. The contests against the league’s best will truly show everyone what the Rockets are made of. Unfortunately, they’ve only played one elite team, Milwaukee, and that was on opening night. Houston got crushed by Miami, who is competitive, but they don’t have a chance at the East crown, which is a possibility for the Bucks. The Rockets just need to keep on rolling until the Clippers come to town next week for an early-season Conference showdown.
Houston won’t play at home again until next Wednesday. They travel to Chicago on Saturday to face the Bulls. It’s another very winnable game for the Rockets. But they’ve got to keep bad habits at bay. Houston hasn’t been nearly as good away from home as they have at the Toyota Center. Starting with a win over the Bulls on Saturday, the Rockets can start to put bad habits to bed. Houston’s next two contests are on the road against inferior opponents (Chicago, New Orleans). If the Rockets play like they did in Wednesday’s beatdown, they should win both of these games. Houston needs to get off to hot start. It sounds simple but it’s easier said than done. Unlike against Golden State, there won’t be any added motivation to inspire the Rockets to be the aggressor early, in order to avoid close, nail-biting victories. Houston has to drive themselves to win these games over inferior competition. The squad’s capable of intensity of the highest-order professionally. Guys like P.J. Tucker, Danuel House, and Russell Westbrook all built their names on their aggressive nature. There’s no reason the Rockets can’t bring a high level of aggression every night. Houston’s got a team built to play tough. It’s time the Rockets show that intensity away from Toyota Center. Or else it’ll be the same old story on the road.