Rockets 107, Hornets 95 - Defense Closes Out The Hornets

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The Hornets got out to an early lead after hitting eight of their first twelve shot attempts from the field (66.67%). Charlotte's field goal percentage came down a tad bit (52.2%) after the Rockets settled into a slightly more effective defense. However, the Rockets couldn’t totally capitalize as they only shot 44% from the field and James Harden failed to see a field goal actually go through the net. After missing his first five field goal attempts, Harden was finally credited with a field goal when a layup was goaltended, and Charlotte ended the first quarter with a 29-23 lead.

The second quarter started with a much needed energy and desire to attack the basket and not settle for outside shots – necessary since Eric Gordon was missing yet another game with a sore back. Sam Dekker and Montrezl Harrell brought the energy up with a couple of hellacious dunks.

#SlamDekker pic.twitter.com/1W06bVeLcK

— Houston Rockets (@HoustonRockets) February 10, 2017

Midway through the second quarter, the Rockets managed to tie the game at 42 after Patrick Beverley’s trademark defense created a steal and led to a transition layup. Houston, however, could not take the lead and Charlotte regained control thanks to Kemba Walker - who nailed a deep three to regain the lead for Charlotte and drew two charges (one of which was an awful call) to stop the Rockets’ momentum. A Harden three (his first of the game) cut Charlotte’s lead to 54-50 just before the end of the half.

Early in the third quarter Houston again tied the game off of a Beverley three, and took its first lead of the game (66-63) a couple of possessions later with a corner three from Ryan Anderson. This sequence happened amid a 17-3 run that was capped off by this insane running three by Harden to beat the shot clock.

¯\_(ツ)_/¯ pic.twitter.com/7YodjVZlNf

— Houston Rockets (@HoustonRockets) February 10, 2017

Houston’s offense really got it going in the third quarter, led by none other than James Harden. Harden, who only shot 20% in the first half, added 14 points on 66.67% shooting in the quarter. Houston’s three-point shooting also started to catch on, improving that shooting percentage from 23.5% in the first half to 37.9%. The Rockets outscored Charlotte 32-26 in the period to give Houston an 86-76 lead.

With Harden on the bench, the second unit did an excellent job staving off any runs Charlotte could have made – holding a 95-86 lead when the ‘Beard’ checked back into the game with seven minutes left. Despite Harden nailing a deep three (which was immediately answered with a three from Nicolas Batum), the Rockets offense didn’t take off as it had with Harden in the third period. The Rockets actually took to its defense to close this one out and, for the sixteenth time this season, the Rockets held their opponent to under 100 points – they’ve won every single one of those games.

A major key to the Rockets winning this game in spite of a rough first half was winning the turnover battle. Now, Houston wasn’t great in terms of holding onto the ball themselves (they committed 17, slightly above their average), but they forced the Hornets to commit 21 – nearly double their per-game average of 11.7.

The Rockets look to make it four wins in a row on Saturday when they take on the visiting Phoenix Suns.

Game Ball

 This is a segment of the game recaps that will give the proverbial game ball to a player that proved to be most valuable to the Rockets on a given night. This award won’t necessarily go to the player that puts up the best numbers, but to the player that made the greatest impact on the team – tangible or intangible.

Thursday’s game ball goes to James Harden.

In games where Eric Gordon is absent and can’t be the second playmaker the Rockets need, James Harden needs to step up (and there’s no doubt he will). Despite getting nice scoring contributions from teammates like Patrick Beverley (17 points) and Montrezl Harrell (14 points), Harden was really going to need to handle the scoring load. His third quarter alone probably earned him this game ball, but 30 points, 11 rebounds, and eight assists is nothing to scoff at.

Despite not being able to find his scoring groove until the third quarter, he was excellent on both defense and on the glass. After Clint Capela failed to successfully box out his man a few times in the first quarter, Harden notably made it a mission to get after the glass. Also, Harden was quick to close out on shooters when defensive rotations were a little slow – something Harden isn’t known for (and is often ridiculed for not doing).

Defense wins games, sure, but it helps to have an MVP-caliber player every night.

Game Preview: Houston Rockets vs Charlotte Hornets

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The Rockets are getting back on track, having won four of their last six games, following a blowout win over the Orlando Magic putting them at 38-17 on the season. The Rockets are back on the road for just one game, heading to Charlotte to play the Hornets for the second time this season. The Rockets are led in scoring, assists, and rebounds by MVP candidate James Harden, at 28.9 points, 11.4 assists, and  8.2 rebounds a game. The Rockets are ranked 3rd in offensive rating, 15th in defensive rating, and 4th in net rating.

The Hornets are in a real rut, even after a victory over the Nets the Hornets have won just six of their last 20 games. After starting 14-9 and looking like a team that will have home court in the playoffs, the Hornets have dropped all the way to the 8th seed and are well below .500 at 24-28. The Hornets are led in scoring by Kemba Walker at 22.7 points, in assists by Nicolas Batum at 6 assists, and in rebounds by Michael Kidd-Gilchrist at 7.4 rebounds per game. The Hornets rank 14th in offensive rating, 11th in defensive rating, and 12th in net rating, not nearly as bad as their record suggests.

Starting Lineups

The Rockets should have everyone available for Thursday's game, with no injuries reported so far. The Rockets will likely start James Harden at point guard, Patrick Beverley at shooting guard, Trevor Ariza at small forward, Ryan Anderson at power forward, and Clint Capela at center, with Eric Gordon getting starter’s minutes.

The Hornets will be without backup point guard Ramon Sessions (knee) and starting center, Cody Zeller (quadricep) for Thursday’s game. The Hornets will likely start with at Kemba Walker at point guard, Nicolas Batum at shooting guard, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist at small forward, Marvin Williams at power forward, and Frank Kaminsky at center.

Three Things to Watch

• Force Turnovers – The Hornets are the best team in the league at taking care of the ball, so the best way to attack what they are trying to do is to be aggressive and in the passing lanes. Watch to see if the Rockets emphasize creating turnovers, allowing them to score in transition against a team that allows the second fewest points off turnovers (pace adjusted) in the NBA.


• Round Two – These two teams last faced off on January 10th, in a game where Nicolas Batum was unable to play, and the Rockets were able to win the turnover and rebounding battle. However, they allowed a big shooting game to the Hornets, who shot over 44% from three. Kemba Walker had a big 25-10 game against the Rockets, but that is to be expected - what they cannot allow is for Charlotte's role players to take over, like Frank Kaminsky, who scored 22 in their last match up. Watch to see if the Rockets are able to win the turnover battle and contain Charlotte's role players better, especially with Batum returning to the line-up.


• Look for Threes – The Hornets allow the most three point attempts per game (when factoring in pace), which indicates that they struggle to close out on shooters. Watch to see if the Rockets, a team who loves to shoot the three ball, are able to take advantage of weak and late closeouts in order to shoot the Hornets out of the game.

Prediction and Tip-Off

This Rockets appear to have gotten their legs back under them a bit, blowing out the Magic after a 3-day rest, and are playing a struggling Hornets team, so I expect a Rockets victory.

Tip-off will be at 6:00 P.M. Central Time in Charlotte on Thursday, February 9th. The game will be televised on ROOT SPORTS, with the radio broadcast on Sports Talk 790-AM.

Rockets 121, Hornets 114 - Harden Cooks Up Rockets' Ninth Straight Win

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The Houston Rockets escaped a late collapse against the Charlotte Hornets for their ninth straight victory (the second such streak in just 40 games this season). With Eric Gordon sidelined with a toe injury, the Rockets called upon none other than their MVP to cook up another victory.

After a slew of slow starts in the past four or five games, the Rockets came out on a mission to score and went on a 10-0 run less than two minutes into the game (kicked off by back-to-back threes from James Harden and Trevor Ariza). Houston made six of their first seven field goal attempts, but their shooting percentage came back down to Earth a bit (57%) – allowing Charlotte to go on a 22-9 to cut Houston’s lead to just one point. Harden, who scored 14 points and dished out four assists in the opening period, responded with two late threes that ultimately gave the Rockets a 32-26 edge after the first.

Houston slowly built a 13-point lead throughout the second quarter, thanks to Ariza contributing nine points and assisting on a Patrick Beverley three (most of this damage was done with Harden on the bench). Then, Harden checked back in and things really exploded for the Houston offense. The Rockets took a 20-point lead by adding five more threes in the second period – including this Ryan Anderson make off a spectacular behind-the-back pass from Harden:

The incredible pass from @JHarden13 results in a Ryno 3! #NBAVote https://t.co/LFmditzcwe

— Houston Rockets (@HoustonRockets) January 11, 2017

The Rockets closed the second period on a 19-6 run to give Houston a 67-47 lead going into halftime. Harden was well on his way to yet another triple-double with 22 points on 50% shooting (5/8 from three), seven rebounds, and six assists.

Houston came out cold in the third quarter, missing its first four three-point attempts and turning the ball over a few times. Meanwhile, the Hornets came out looking to execute the same game plan that Houston tries to execute every night. Charlotte added six threes in the third and managed to cut the deficit down to 11 points (it had been as high as 23).

The Rockets looked very flat for the majority of the quarter, and it was a third period reminiscent of the dreadful third periods of yesteryear – the type that the Rockets couldn’t come back from. Luckily, this team doesn’t have the same mentality as last season and ended the third period with a flurry, starting with a James Harden three and an exciting transition layup for Corey Brewer. Houston had built the lead back up to 17 (96-79) by the end of the period.

Charlotte’s big men – particularly, Frank Kaminsky and Spencer Hawes – really gave the Rockets problems in the fourth quarter. Their ability to stretch the floor and hit the deep ball brought the Hornets buzzing back, cutting Houston’s lead to single-digits. Houston’s shooting really went cold, Kemba Walker’s craftiness was finally effective against the Rockets’ defense, and a 18-2 run brought the Hornets within two points. Kaminsky capitalized on another missed three from Harden and drained a deep three to give Charlotte a 111-110 lead with 2:26 left in the game.

Following a timeout from Mike D’Antoni, James Harden found Ryan Anderson for a corner three (and another triple-double for the ‘Beard’) that regained the lead for Houston. Montrezl Harrell came up with a huge block on the other end of the floor and Harden finished a layup in transition. Houston now held a 115-111 lead just 35 seconds after Charlotte initially took the lead.

The Rockets played locked down defense on two straight possessions, but couldn’t capitalize. Harden was called for an offensive foul on a drive to the basket (he pushed the defender off with his right arm), and Beverley was called for a foul for colliding with Kemba Walker after Montrezl Harrell blocked Walker’s three-point attempt.

Kemba Walker took advantage of the Hornets retaining possession and swished a deep three to cut the score to 115-114. On the very next possession, Harden drew a screen from Harrell and scored on one of his patented Euro-step layups to increase Houston’s lead to three. The Hornets followed by drawing up a play to free Kaminsky at the top of the three-point line. However, Kaminsky saw Harrell coming after him, pump faked and tried to draw a foul on a three-point attempt. Harrell did an excellent job of avoiding contact with Kaminsky and the Rockets got the rebound with 20 seconds left, which meant that the fouling game was about to start.

After a timeout (Rockets couldn’t get the ball inbounds), Ariza made the puzzling decision to inbound the ball to Harrell – who was immediately fouled. Harrell, a 60% free throw shooter on the season, calmly sank both free throws to give Houston a 119-114 lead. The Rockets forced another Hornets miss and Harden sank two more threes for good measure. The game was finally, mercifully, over.

Without Eric Gordon to provide his usual scoring punch, the Rockets needed a monstrous night from Harden and improved efforts from role players – and that’s exactly what was delivered. In fact, five non-Harden Rockets scored in double figures (including Corey Brewer!) and Patrick Beverley posted eight points, eight rebounds, and five assists.

The Rockets have a quick turnaround as they face the young Minnesota Timberwolves in Minneapolis Wednesday night.

Game Ball

This is a segment of the game recaps that will give the proverbial game ball to a player that proved to be most valuable to the Rockets on a given night. This award won’t necessarily go to the player that puts up the best numbers, but to the player that made the greatest impact on the team – tangible or intangible.

Tuesday’s game ball goes to James Harden.

There’s not much more you can say about a stat line like the one Harden posted Tuesday (40 points, 15 rebounds, and 10 assists), but the fact that this stat line included seven made three-pointers and several clutch plays. It was refreshing to see Harden shoot (and make) that many threes, a necessary task given Gordon’s injury, but it was way more important to see that he was aggressive in the final moments of the game. He called upon his own number late in the game for a couple of tough layups to give Houston some breathing room, but he also kept the point-guard mentality to find teammates late (i.e. when he found Ryan Anderson for the corner three that regained the lead).

With Gordon unlikely to play (or even travel) in Minnesota tomorrow, the Rockets are going to need Harden to turn his ridiculous up a notch – especially with the tough schedule coming in the next two weeks.