Harden, bench explosion lead fourth-quarter rally
Star guard uses extra minutes to get ready, while subs score 58 points to down Grizzlies
Rockets generally believe if two of their three high-scoring guards — James Harden, Russell Westbrook and Eric Gordon — are on, they should win. If all three are their best at the same time, they believe they win.
In Sunday’s scrimmage, one — Harden — was sharp. The Rockets rallied to win anyway.
Westbrook shot like someone who began the week in quarantine instead of playing basketball. Gordon misfired. The Rockets had the familiar problem getting back in transition.
They ran away from the Memphis Grizzlies, however, pouring in 41 fourth-quarter points to take a 119-104 win in large part because an issue that has often held them back was a strength.
It helped that Harden chased a triple-double, finishing with 31 points, nine assists and eight rebounds, closing out the game with a series of defensive stops in the low post, and getting the playing time he wanted to be ready for Friday’s irregular-season opener.
“Last game, we played 10-minute quarters, so I only played 27 minutes,” said Harden, who insisted he remain in the game with four minutes left. “A regular-season game and the playoffs, inten
sity is going to be much higher. I want to kind of build that right now and kind of get that going, so when it starts, I’m already prepared. Just wanted to push myself a little more a get a win.
“I got a little winded throughout the course of the game. I think everybody was. I don’t want to just play 20 minutes and when the eight games come be playing 35, 36 minutes and it’s going to be a huge shock. I just want to prepare myself so I’m ready.”
The Rockets got the win in large part because a second unit that has averaged fewer points this season than all but two teams poured in 58, well more than in any game during the seaThe
son, even with guard Austin Rivers in quarantine and unavailable.
With Westbrook limited to 26 minutes and making three of 14 shots and Gordon missing all six of his 3pointers, the starters with Harden went 12-of-41. But when the Rockets struggled in the first half, Jeff Green went 5-of-5, scoring 15 of his 18 points. With the Rockets trailing for most of the second half, Ben McLemore scored 21 of his 31 points.
“I think I have a value doing the things I do,” McLemore said. “Run the floor, guard and make big shots. That’s my role on this team.
“We kept the same energy, active on defense. Now we just start making shots. We kept moving the ball and kept getting stops.”
The Rockets got stronger as the game went on. For
coach Mike D’Antoni, that was not just a good sign but a reason to give at least some of his regulars regular minutes.
“You can practice all you want, but you don’t get into game shape until you start playing games,” he said. “The three scrimmages are really important, and the eight games will be important to get to playoff form.”
Perhaps a better sign, however, was that after struggling to get back defensively most of the night, the Rockets allowed just one fast-break shot in the fourth quarter. The Grizzlies missed it.
“They know to be on their horse and get back,” D’Antoni said. “That’s one of our weaknesses. We don’t run back like we should and pick up. Those are things to work out.”
Still, the play off the bench was most crucial and conspicuous. The shooting of the Rockets’ second- and third-leading scorers is expected to come around. P.J. Tucker and Robert Covington will play without fouling out, as both did Sunday. The bench, however, more than doubled its scoring per game in the regular season, offering hope there is depth that will be needed when the restart season becomes a grind.
“Jeff is a heck of a basketball player. He and Ben played unbelievably great,” D’Antoni said. “The last three weeks since we’ve been practicing, they’ve been great.
“There were a lot of good things. When we do it right, people have a really hard time with it. When we’re a step slow, we’re going to get beat. I think that will come with our conditioning, but mentally, being tough enough to be called a champion.”