James Harden, Clint Capela lead Rockets over Nuggets

HOUSTON — With James Harden getting double-teamed almost every time he had the ball Monday night against the Denver Nuggets, he looked for other Houston Rockets to step up and make plays.

Chief among them was Clint Capela, who set a career high with 31 points as the Rockets beat the Nuggets 125-113.

“He did what he was supposed to do,” said Harden, who had 32 points. “He finished. He played extremely well. Played hard.”

P.J. Tucker set a career high with seven 3-pointers and scored a season-high 21 points to help Houston win for the 12th time in 14 games. Capela had 19 points by halftime as Harden fed him again and again.

“Whenever I’m under the rim and you put a little on me what’s going to happen is that 99 or 100 percent of the time I’m going to dunk the ball,” Capela said. “This is what happened tonight and I did a great job of finishing aggressive under the rim.”

Houston was up by 11 after two free throws by Torrey Craig with about 5 1/2 minutes left before Tucker and Harden made 3-pointers on consecutive possessions to make it 117-100 about a minute later.

Gerald Green had 21 points and made six 3s on a night Houston made 22 3s for its sixth game this season with at least 20.


“We’re just a real tough team when we’re knocking down shots like that,” Green said.

Nikola Jokic scored 24 points for the Nuggets, who had a five-game winning streak snapped.

“Give them credit,” Nuggets coach Michael Malone said. “You know Harden is going to get his, but when P.J. Tucker and Gerald Green score the amount of 3s that they made, I believe 13 combined, that’s a tough one to overcome.”

Harden had 14 assists, six 3-pointers and scored at least 30 points for the 13th straight game.


“He’s probably the hardest guy in the NBA to guard,” Malone said.

Coach Mike D’Antoni enjoys watching the different things Harden does to help his team win night after night.

“Whatever they throw at him, he’ll find the best play,” D’Antoni said. “He’ll also find a way to score. He’ll find his way, but he’ll also get everyone involved.”

TIP-INS

Nuggets: Malone said Will Barton (hip) is making progress and could return in the next couple of weeks. … Morris added 21 points off the bench.

Rockets: Houston traded Michael Carter-Williams and cash considerations to the Chicago Bulls on Monday for a protected second-round pick in the 2020 draft. The Bulls then waived the guard following the trade. … Chris Paul missed his eighth game in a row with a strained left hamstring. … Eric Gordon missed his fourth straight game with a bruised right knee.

WHAT A PLAY

The Rockets led 70-60 at halftime after Harden made two 3-pointers in the last 90 seconds of the second quarter. The first of those shots is sure to show up on highlight reels, as Murray slipped and fell to the court trying to guard him before Harden stepped back for the basket.

MAGIC NUMBER?

With Monday’s win the Rockets improved to 59-2 when scoring at least 120 points under D’Antoni.

THEY SAID IT

Jokic on Denver’s struggles against Houston, which has won nine straight in the series: “They beat us at our place and they beat us here. Last year, we didn’t win one time, so that team gives us a problem, but we have to find a way to beat them and play (better) against them.”

UP NEXT

Nuggets: Visit the Miami Heat on Tuesday night.

Rockets: Host Milwaukee Bucks on Wednesday night.

source: sports.inquirer.net

Harden’s 40 lifts Rockets to 1st home win over Pacers

HOUSTON — It’s more than three weeks into the season and the Houston Rockets finally got their first home win on Sunday night.

With the hole they’re in early, they’ll need plenty more to dig their way out.

James Harden scored a season-high 40 points and Chris Paul added 26 to help the Rockets to a 115-103 victory over the Indiana Pacers on Sunday night.

“It’s nice to get a win,” Paul said. “We’ve obviously been struggling … but we’ve got to keep building.”

The Rockets, who had lost the last two games of a season-long five-game road trip, dropped their first four home games. They’re 5-7 this season and in 12th place in the Western Conference.

Houston was up by 10 with about four minutes left after five quick points by the Pacers, but Harden made two free throws after that to stretch the lead. The Pacers got within 8 on a basket by Cory Joseph with about 90 seconds left, but Paul made a layup a few seconds later to put the game out of reach.

Victor Oladipo had 22 for the Pacers, who have lost three of their last four games.

“We knew they were very capable of getting hot even though they hadn’t shot the ball well early this season,” Indiana coach Nate McMillan said. “We knew they were very capable and tonight they did. It was tough matchups trying to stop those guys.”

The win comes as the Rockets deal with a disappointing start to the season and rumors and reports about Carmelo Anthony’s status and future with the team. Anthony, who is in his first year in Houston, sat out for the second straight game with an undisclosed illness on a day the New York Times had a sourced report that said he had been told he would soon be waived.

General manager Daryl Morey said before the game that the report was “inaccurate” and that singling Anthony out as the cause of Houston’s struggles was unfair.

The Rockets, who entered the game ranking near the bottom of the league with a 3-point shooting percentage of just 31.7, shot 42.6 percent from long-range and made a season-high 20 3s on Sunday night. Harden had eight and Paul added five to lead the way.



“When we’re like that we’re going to score a bunch of points and if … our defense can keep improving then we’re the team that we want to be,” coach Mike D’Antoni said.

Houston had a big lead for most of the second half and was up by 21 entering the fourth quarter after Paul and Harden had piled up 55 points combined in the first three quarters.

The Pacers opened the fourth with an 11-2 run, with the last five points from Oladipo to cut the lead to 104-92 with about 7 ½ minutes left.

But Harden, who finished with nine assists and seven rebounds, made all of Houston’s points in a 5-2 run to stretch the lead and 109-94.

The Rockets led by 22 at halftime but Indiana scored the first 11 points of the third quarter to cut the lead to 76-65. Darren Collison made two 3-pointers in that span and Oladipo added another one.

Houston finally scored its first points of the second half when P.J. Tucker made a 3-pointer with about 9 ½ minutes left in the third.

But the Rockets couldn’t get much going after that and the Pacers scored five straight points later in the period to cut the lead to 84-74 with about five minutes remaining in the third.

Harden got hot after that, making 3-pointers on consecutive possessions to power a 12-3 spurt that extended the lead 97-77 about three minutes later.

TIP-INS

Pacers: Oladipo received a technical foul in the third quarter for arguing with a referee after fouling Paul. … Bojan Bogdanovic added 20 points and had six assists. … Collison had 13 points.

Rockets: Clint Capela had 18 points and seven rebounds. He bruised his knee in a collision with Oladipo, but D’Antoni said he should be OK. … Gerald Green sat out with a sprained right ankle. … Nene, who has not played this season, remains out with a strained right calf.

THEY SAID IT

Paul on what he’s seen from Anthony in his time in Houston: “Melo’s been great here. That’s like a brother to me. I don’t know what’s being said or whatnot but Melo’s been great working hard every day.”

UP NEXT

Pacers: Host Miami on Friday night.

Rockets: Visit Denver on Tuesday night.

source: sports.inquirer.net

Harden scores 25 in return, Rockets defeat Bulls

CHICAGO — James Harden scored 25 points, including 11 in a decisive run in the third quarter, in his return to the Houston lineup, and the Rockets defeated the Chicago Bulls 96-88 on Saturday night.

Harden, who had missed three games with a strained left hamstring, scored 11 straight points in a 1:59 span of the third as the Rockets went on a 15-0 run.

Carmelo Anthony had 17 points and James Ennis added 15 as the Rockets won their second game in two nights after starting the season 1-5.

Chicago led 59-58 midway through the third quarter before the Rockets and Harden went ahead for good, outscoring the Bulls 21-7 in the period.

Zach LaVine led Chicago with 21 points, and Wendell Carter Jr. had 14 points and 13 rebounds. Jabari Parker added 15 points as the Bulls lost their fourth straight game — going 0-4 in the homestand — and dropped their fifth straight to the Rockets.

Houston opened a 17-point lead in the fourth quarter. Chicago narrowed it to five points with 4:01 left using a 12-2 run and capitalizing on stretch of cold shooting by Houston.

Harden, the NBA’s reigning MVP, started slowly in his return to the starting lineup. He didn’t score until completing a driving layup with 3:55 left in the second quarter. Then he hit back-to-back 3s and had 10 points at the half.

Harden had seven assists in the second quarter. He also had eight turnovers.

Harden suffered the hamstring injury near the end of the loss to Utah on Oct. 24, and Houston was routed in the next two games. The Rockets beat the Nets in Brooklyn 119-111 on Friday as Harden got an extra day of rest.

Guard Eric Gordon was held out of Saturday’s game with abductor strain, suffered at Brooklyn.

The Bulls held their own with the Rockets in a see-saw, open first half and led 56-54. Neither team had more than a five-point lead in the first half.

Ennis, in his second game back after missing three with a strained right hamstring, led all scorers with 13 points at the half. Jabari Parker had 11 for Chicago.

TIP-INS

Rockets: Before the game, coach Mike D’Antoni didn’t have details of Gordon’s injury, but thought the guard, who has averaged 15 points through seven games, would be out day-to-day. “Now we get James back, but we lose Eric,” D’Antoni said, while noting injuries to top players have taxed other Rockets who aren’t used to as much playing time. . D’Antoni’s voice was rapsy and barely audible before Saturday’s game. He attributed it to his team pulling out its second win of the season at Brooklyn on Friday. “I celebrated last night and lost my voice,” D’Antoni said “We won a game.”

Bulls: Coach Fred Hoiberg expects his injury-depleted team will soon get a boost from the return of F Lauri Markkanen (right elbow sprain) and G Denzel Washington (left ankle sprain), but still doesn’t have an exact timetable. “Denzel will continue to ramp up his activity in the next couple days, and Lauri is doing a little bit more still,” Hoiberg said, adding that Markkanen might be ready to “get on floor” in about a week. . Hoiberg said Bobby Portis (right knee sprain) and Kris Dunn (left knee sprain) “are still a ways away.”

UP NEXT

Rockets: At Indiana on Monday in third game of a five-game trip.

Bulls: At the New York Knicks on Monday.

source: sports.inquirer.net

Rockets escape Warriors to even Western Conference Finals at 2-2

OAKLAND, Calif. — James Harden scored 30 points, Chris Paul had 27 and the Houston Rockets sustained the latest second-half flurry by Stephen Curry, evening the Western Conference finals at two games apiece with a 95-92 victory Tuesday night.

Curry scored 28 points and Kevin Durant added 27 points and 12 rebounds but the defending champions missed their final six shots from the floor and their NBA-record postseason winning streak at home ended at 16 games.

The Rockets shook off a 12-0 deficit to start the game and another big run by the Warriors in the third, then won it with defense down the stretch.

Paul rebounded Klay Thompson’s miss just before the final buzzer sounded for the first time and pounded the ball down in delight. A replay review ensued and it was determined Shaun Livingston fouled Paul before the game ended, so Paul made a free throw with 0.5 seconds left.

Curry couldn’t get off a final attempt before the buzzer.

“I thought this is the highest level we’ve ever played defensively, without a doubt,” Rockets coach Mike D’Antoni said, “because we’re talking about the best offensive team ever.”

Game 5 is Thursday night at Houston. Golden State will play its longest playoff round after closing out its first two series in five games.

Golden State got the ball with 1:27 to play down 94-91 and Thompson and Curry each missed contested 3-pointers.

The Warriors got another chance with 42.5 seconds left following Houston’s shot-clock violation. Curry missed a driving layup and Draymond Green pulled down the offensive rebound and was fouled by Paul, but Green converted only one free throw.

The Rockets went ahead 85-84 with 6:03 remaining on Trevor Ariza’s 3-pointer from the baseline after a beautiful bounce pass from the opposite corner by Paul.

Golden State trailed 91-86 with 3:30 left following a pair of free throws by Eric Gordon, then Curry converted a three-point play moments later.

Green wound up with 11 points, 13 rebounds and eight assists while going at it with Paul all night in Game 4 — the first nail-biter so far in a series that had featured only lopsided results.

Curry knocked down three straight 3-pointers during a key third-quarter sequence in which he scored 11 consecutive points before Thompson’s 3.

Down 53-46 at halftime two days after a franchise playoff-record, 41-point victory in Sunday’s 126-85 win, Curry shined in the second half once more. He scored 17 in all during the third-quarter flurry.

Curry came out and hit a 3 from the top and seemed on his way to another spectacular finish until the late misses on a night both Western Conference powers shot just 39 percent.

His 3-pointer from 29 feet out at the 5:43 mark of the third got Golden State back within 62-60 then he knocked down another moments later on the Warriors’ next possession for the lead. Then, another from the baseline before a driving layup to the left.

Harden scored 15 points in the second quarter as Houston used a 25-7 run to take command.

Much-improved Warriors big man Kevon Looney, who shed 30 pounds last offseason, earned his first career postseason start in place of injured Andre Iguodala and had four points and six rebounds.

Iguodala, who banged his left knee during the fourth quarter of Sunday’s win, was upgraded from doubtful to questionable after an MRI exam earlier Tuesday on the knee revealed no structural damage.

The Warriors got another scare when Thompson briefly went to the locker room in the second quarter with a left knee strain then returned and hit baseline 3-pointers from both sides and wound up with 10 points on 4-for-13 shooting.

The Rockets missed their first eight field-goal tries and committed two turnovers before Harden’s layup with 6:42 left in the first. D’Antoni called timeout at the 7:06 mark of the first with his team trailing 12-0.

TIP-INS

Rockets: The Rockets were outrebounded 49-41. … Houston scored just 19 first-quarter points, its fifth straight period failing to score more than 24 before scoring 34 in the second. … After saying the pressure was on the Warriors, D’Antoni cracked pregame, “That really worked out well, didn’t it?”

Warriors: Curry picked up his third foul at the 5:06 mark of the second quarter and took a seat and Golden State was limited to 18 points in the period. He pumped his right arm so hard after a basket in the first he nearly hit official Mike Callahan. … Curry made his signature pregame tunnel shot on the fourth try. … Golden State dropped to 32-7 in the postseason since 2015 when holding opponents to fewer than 100 points. … Looney started for just the ninth time in his three-year NBA career.

IGUODALA OUT

Without 2015 NBA Finals MVP Iguodala, the Warriors were down one of their top defenders and playmakers.

Iguodala’s status for Game 5 was still unclear. Since 2014-15, Golden State is 14-4 in postseason games started by Iguodala.

“If it was close, he would play,” coach Steve Kerr said. “He’s injured so he’s not playing. So we’ll see what happens in the next couple of days.”

D’Antoni knew the Warriors would respond.

“They only have four All-Stars instead of five. It really puts a crimp in their style,” he said.

TECHNICAL STANDS

The Warriors spoke to the NBA about Green’s double-technical in Game 3 with Trevor Ariza issued at the 6:49 mark of the fourth quarter when Ariza shoved Green as they traded words.

“They’re not rescinding it,” Kerr said. “Those conversations are always private, so we respect their decision and move on.”

source: sports.inquirer.net

Rockets advance to 2nd round with eyes on bigger goals

HOUSTON — The Houston Rockets spent almost no time celebrating their first-round playoff series win over the Minnesota Timberwolves on Wednesday night.

For the top-seeded Rockets, it simply moved them a little closer toward their goal of bringing the franchise its first title in more than two decades.

“This was a pretty good step for us, a step in the right direction, but we’ve got a long way to go,” James Harden said. “We (don’t) have this team just to win one playoff series.”

From the moment Chris Paul joined the Rockets in a blockbuster trade from the Los Angeles Clippers last summer, the Rockets have talked incessantly about their desire and belief that the pairing of the two star point guards could propel this already good team into contender status.

A 65-win regular season led by Harden’s MVP-caliber play and Paul’s work in a top supporting role gave the Rockets the NBA’s best record for the first time in franchise history and added to the belief that this could be the year they win it all.

Despite not playing their best at times, the Rockets easily handled the eighth-seeded Wolves, turning in three blowout wins in the 4-1 series triumph, capped by Wednesday’s night 122-104 victory.

“We’ll continue to get better, work on some things, figure out who we play and take it from there,” Harden said.

They move on to the Western Conference semifinals for the second straight season and look to return to the conference finals for the first time since losing to the Golden State Warriors in 2015.

But first they’ll get a few days to rest as they await the winner of the series between the Thunder and Jazz. Utah leads 3-2 after Oklahoma City overcame a 25-point second-half deficit to avoid elimination Wednesday night.

Coach Mike D’Antoni said it’s difficult to do too much preparation before they know who they’ll face.

“We’ll watch it. Get some popcorn and enjoy the NBA like everybody else does then we’ll break it down,” he said. “We’ll have plenty of time to prepare and get in there and do what we do.”

While the Rockets have their eyes on winning their first title since taking back to back trophies in 1994-95, the next round will be a benchmark of sorts for Paul considering his disappointing playoff history.

The nine-time All-Star has faced criticism after making nine previous playoff trips without advancing past the second round. The worst of those flops came in 2015 against Houston, when Paul and the Clippers had a 3-1 lead in the conference semifinals. They got blown out in Game 5 and squandered a 19-point second-half lead in Los Angeles in Game 6 before falling in Game 7 at Houston.

He bristles when the subject is brought up by reporters, but both Harden and Trevor Ariza said Paul discussed that series this week as a cautionary tale when Houston took a 3-1 lead over Minnesota.

Paul carried the Rockets with a 27-point performance in a Game 2 win against Minnesota and scored 25 points in Game 4 when he and Harden fueled a 50-point third quarter that allowed the Rockets to come back to Houston a win away from wrapping up the series.

While his scoring helped Houston through this series, perhaps more important to Houston’s success was what he did to facilitate scoring by others like Clint Capela, who led Houston with 26 points on Wednesday night. Paul had a tough time in the first game of the series when he tied a season-high with six turnovers.

In the next four games he piled up 29 assists with just three turnovers to help Houston advance.

Minnesota coach Tom Thibodeau marveled at how difficult it is to deal with both Harden and Paul after the pair combined for 21 assists on Wednesday night.

“They can hurt you a lot of different ways,” he said. “They hurt us with the pass tonight. They’re not worried about their shots. They’re worried about the team getting good shots.”

While Houston’s offensive prowess was evident throughout the year, the Rockets hope that their work on defense against Minnesota shows that they’re solid on that side of the ball, too.

“We’ve been saying it all season long and in order for us to get where we want to go defense is going to have to be our backbone,” Harden said. “We’re going to have to get stops.”

source: sports.inquirer.net

Harden, Rockets get 90 in first half, beat Suns 142-116

PHOENIX, Arizona—James Harden had 23 of his 48 points in the second quarter while the Houston Rockets scored 90 points in the first half en route to a 142-116 win over the Phoenix Suns on Thursday night.

Houston dominated with Chris Paul back in the lineup after missing 14 games with a knee injury. The Rockets made 61 percent of their first-half shots to match the second-most points in a first half in NBA history.

Houston came up 14 points shy of the franchise record for points in a game. The Rockets knocked down 21 of 44 3-point attempts, and Harden made all 18 of his free throws.

Harden, the NBA’s leading scorer, had 33 points at halftime. Houston used a 13-1 over the final 3:08 of the first quarter to take control and was never threatened after that, leading 45-23 going into the second.

Paul, who hadn’t played since the season opener, got the start and didn’t miss a beat, scoring 11 points and handing out 10 assists in limited action.

Coach Mike D’Antoni said before the game that getting the two stars, Harden and Paul, in sync will “take care of itself over the next week or so.” D’Antoni planned to play Paul for 20 minutes; Paul saw 21 minutes of action and sat out most of the fourth quarter.

Ryan Anderson added 24 points for the Rockets, who have won seven of eight.
The Suns also shot well in the first half, getting 65 points before the break. They got the lead down to 14 with one of Troy Daniels’ six 3-pointers in the second quarter, but the Rockets repeatedly scored with ease at the other end.

Daniels tied a Suns franchise record for 3s in a quarter and led Phoenix with 23 points. Devin Booker added 18 points and 10 assists.

The Suns have lost seven of eight.

As the first half came to a close, a fan yelled at D’Antoni from the stands. “Sit down Mike, you’re up 40!” D’Antoni, a former Suns coach, turned and deadpanned, “It’s 25. You can’t count.”

Center Greg Monroe made his Suns debut, starting and playing 26 minutes. Monroe, acquired by Phoenix from Milwaukee with two draft picks for guard Eric Bledsoe on Nov. 7, was dealing with a left calf strain when he arrived.

He finished with 20 points and 11 rebounds.

Monroe played amid speculation that he could be traded or have his contract bought out.

source: sports.inquirer.net

Spurs overcome Leonard injury, Harden to beat Rockets in OT for 3-2 lead

SAN ANTONIO — Danny Green scored seven of his 16 points in overtime, and the San Antonio Spurs overcame an injury to Kawhi Leonard to beat James Harden and the Houston Rockets 110-107 on Tuesday night to take a 3-2 lead in their second-playoff series.

Leonard had 22 points and 15 rebounds in 38 minutes before exiting with an injured right ankle. Leonard stepped on Harden’s foot with 5:37 left in the third quarter and then played limited minutes before sitting out overtime.

Harden had 33 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists. He had a chance at potential tying 3-pointer in the final seconds of OT, but was blocked from behind by Manu Ginobili.

Game 6 is Thursday in Houston.

Each team stalled at the start of the extra period. Patrick Beverley made a 3-pointer with 2 minutes remaining for the first points of the period, giving Houston a 104-101 lead.

Green made a go-ahead 3-pointer and converted a three-point play to make it 109-107 Spurs with 30.1 seconds left. He also made a foul shot down the stretch to help San Antonio hold on.

Two questionable plays closed regulation with the game tied at 101.

Harden was whistled for a charge after dribbling all but a few seconds off the shot clock before driving to the basket on Jonathon Simmons. The Spurs failed to take a shot on their final possession, with Patty Mills banking in a 3-pointer after the buzzer sounded.

Harden also played solid defense, helping hold Leonard and LaMarcus Aldridge to 15-for-42 shooting as he rotated assignments in Houston’s smaller lineup. But he finished with nine turnovers.

With the Rockets leading 82-81, officials ruled a ball out of bounds on the Spurs that replays showed was actually off Harden. Beverley drained a 3-pointer on the ensuing possession, prompting San Antonio coach Gregg Popovich to scream and point at official Derrick Stafford.

The play ignited what had been a rather listless San Antonio, leading to a 10-2 run bridging the third and fourth quarters for a 92-87 lead.

The Spurs tried to exploit a size advantage over the Rockets’ small lineup early, especially when Harden was guarding either Aldridge and Pau Gasol. The Spurs’ big men only managed 2-for-5 shooting in the opening three minutes, leading San Antonio to abandon the strategy midway through the first quarter and sub Simmons for Gasol.

Simmons responded by scoring 10 points on 5-for-13 shooting in 26 minutes.

TIP-INS

Rockets: Houston has lost four straight best-of-seven series when it was tied 2-2. The last time the Rockets won a series after being tied 2-2 was in the 1995 Western Conference finals when they beat the Spurs. . Nene is out for the remainder of the postseason after tearing his left adductor in Game 4. . The team that led at the half had won every game in the series until Game 5.

Spurs: Ginobili has 313 3-pointers in his postseason career, which is third in league history behind Ray Allen (385) and Reggie Miller (320). . Ginobili drove the lane for a one-handed dunk with 2 minutes left in the first half.

source: sports.inquirer.net