At the beginning to the season, there were skepticism about the partnership between James Harden and Russell Westbrook for the Rockets. Their initial approach routine, if a little too close for comfort. The marriage of these two high-usage stars had garnered nothing close to consensus support, but Rockets will take their end product on the court.
Early this morning, the Houston Rockets provided a glimpse of their potential when both of their superstar guards have it rolling. “It’s pretty scary,” James Harden said after a 116-105 win over the Boston Celtics on Tuesday at the Toyota Center. Harden scored 42 points in the win, the most by the NBA’s scoring leader in more than a month, shooting 9-of-19 from the floor, 7-of-16 from 3-point range and 17-of-18 from the free throw line. Russell Westbrook continued his recent hot streak, scoring 36 points on 13-of-23 shooting from the floor and 10-of-13 from the line. It was the first time in franchise history that a pair of Rockets each scored at least 35 points in a regulation game, according to the Elias Sports Bureau. Paul George and Kawhi Leonard of the LA Clippers are the only other teammates to each score 35 points in a game this season.
Harden had eight rebounds and seven assists and Westbrook finished with 10 rebounds and five assists as the Rockets used a starting lineup without a true centre after trading Clint Capela last week. “It’s helping both of them,” Coach Mike D’Antoni said. “It should. It opens up the floor for them. Both of them are great drivers and great finishers … and it should trickle down to everybody else, too.”
“Harden was great … and Westbrook was great,” Boston coach Brad Stevens said. “Those guys are two of the best in the world and they showed it again tonight.”
With the win, the Rockets are 5-2 since becoming a full-time small-ball team. The Rockets’ decision to regularly play without a center was made in large part to benefit Westbrook, playing to his strength as a relentless rim attacker by reducing the clutter in the paint. Since Capela’s last game with the Rockets, 86 of Westbrook’s 136 field goal attempts have come in the restricted area, where he has converted at a 66.7% clip.
“That’s his game,” D’Antoni said. “James has his step-back, so whether it’s clogged or not, he still has an arsenal he can go to. For Russell, [the spacing created by small lineups] is really advantageous, and it will be for James, too. It makes them really hard to guard.”
The Rockets are 4-1 when Harden and Westbrook each score at least 30 points, including wins over the Dallas Mavericks and Celtics in the past two weeks.
“We made a big change, and we’ve got to get adjusted to that with Clint gone,” Westbrook said. “So we’re just kind of getting acclimated to that. I think we’ve got it moving in the right direction.”
The Rockets next game is at the Chase Center, they face Golden State on February 20. Will the duo that do not fit seamlessly continue their impressive run in San Francisco?