San Antonio Spurs vs. Houston Rockets: Postgame Grades and Analysis
On a night when the San Antonio Spurs were without the services of Tim Duncan (rest), Manu Ginobili (rest), Marco Belinelli (groin strain) and Tiago Splitter (calf tightness), the Houston Rockets improved to 6-0 with a 98-81 dismantling of the defending champions.
Dwight Howard was dominant, totaling 32 points and 16 rebounds, while James Harden added 20 points, six rebounds and six assists.
As a team, the Rockets shot 47.2 percent from the field and 37 percent from three.
However, Thursday marked the first time this season the Rockets failed to score 100 points after averaging 105.8 points during their first five games.
Conversely, the Spurs hit just 34.4 percent of their total shots and knocked down a meager 2 of 20 attempts from beyond the arc.
| James Harden | A- | Tony Parker | F |
| Dwight Howard | A+ | Kawhi Leonard | D+ |
| Trevor Ariza | B- | Danny Green | F |
| Isaiah Canaan | B+ | Boris Diaw | D |
| Rest of Team | B+ | Rest of Team | C+ |
Houston Rockets
James Harden: A-
It was Howard's night to shine, but that didn't stop Harden from posting some strong numbers. In 33 minutes, Harden was predictably efficient, contributing 20 points on 8-of-15 shooting (3-of-6 from the free-throw line). Thursday marked just the second time this season Harden didn't crack double-digit attempts from the charity stripe.
And while he did rack up six assists, it's worth noting Harden committed a game-high eight turnovers, including seven in the first half.
Harden also provided some uncharacteristically strong defense on San Antonio's wings, particularly during a first half in which the Spurs scored 29 points and shot 0-of-12 from three. His activity on the boards (six rebounds) was also commendable.
We will bump his grade up half a letter grade for this posterization of Aron Baynes, too:
Dwight Howard: A+
With Duncan and Splitter sidelined, the Rockets focused on taking advantage of a depleted San Antonio frontcourt.
Howard operated as the primary beneficiary, scoring 32 points (12-of-18 shooting, 8-of-13 from the line) while grabbing 16 rebounds and blocking two shots. He finished the first half with a 20-point, 12-rebound double-double.
The big man was particularly explosive in the pick-and-roll and on the low blocks, continually establishing optimal position against Baynes and Jeff Ayres.
Countless lobs were thrown down, as well, several of which looked like this:
Trevor Ariza: B-
Finishing with a plus/minus total of plus-16, Trevor Ariza continued to prove that he was worth the Rockets' investment as their new three-and-D ace.
On offense, Ariza's performance was a tad more discouraging, as he mustered seven points on 2-of-10 shooting (1-of-5 from three). Fortunately, Houston didn't need its perimeter weapons to be firing on all cylinders to blow the Spurs out.
Isaiah Canaan: B+
Starting in place of the injured Patrick Beverley, Isaiah Canaan was in a spot advantageous to statistical gains after opening the season by scoring at least 10 points just once in five games.
Nine points on 4-of-8 shooting comprised Canaan's production prior to garbage time, but the extra playing time down the stretch helped boost his final total to 12 points on 5-of-10 shooting.
With Harden assuming primary distributive duties, Canaan managed one helper.
Rest of Team: B+
Jason Terry scored all 10 Houston bench points in the first half and recorded a total of 16 (4-of-5 shooting from three) on a night when the 37-year-old accounted for 40 percent of Houston's made threes.
Starting power forward Donatas Motiejunas attempted one shot and failed to register a single point in 25 minutes, but he finished with a plus-minus rating of plus-25, tied with Harden for the second-highest among Houston starters.
San Antonio Spurs
Tony Parker: F
When you don't record your first points until midway through the third quarter, a failing grade is going to be in the cards.
On a particularly forgettable evening, Tony Parker finished with six points (3-of-8 shooting), one assist and two turnovers. According to Basketball-Reference.com, Parker scored six points or fewer five times last season.
Parker was also a team-worst minus-27 in 26 minutes.
Kawhi Leonard: D+
Kawhi Leonard figured to pick up a good portion of the offensive slack with Duncan and Ginobili out, but a 2-of-9 start quickly dampened those hopes.
While three early steals provided hope that Leonard would be able to buoy San Antonio's defense, the Rockets' inside-outside combination of Harden and Howard was simply too dominant.
However, with seven points, five assists, four rebounds and four steals, Leonard did compile the Spurs' most complete line of the evening. That tells you everything you need to know about Thursday's contest.
Danny Green: F
Defended surprisingly well by Harden, Danny Green was incapable of working into his usual groove from deep. No, that's not a sentence we were expecting to write.
With the Spurs ice-cold all around, Green totaled 10 points on 3-of-10 shooting, including 0-of-6 from three.
Green and the rest of his teammates will want to burn the film from this abysmal offensive display.
Boris Diaw: D
Boris Diaw's most notable contribution was the fact that he halted San Antonio's 0-of-15 start from three by drilling his team's first triple midway through the third quarter.
And while Diaw did well to dish out four assists in 22 minutes, he also committed five turnovers and scored just seven points (2-of-5 shooting).
Rest of Team: C+
Cory Joseph was the man of the hour off the pine, scoring 18 points on 9-of-11 shooting. In a contract year, you can expect a few more performances like that as the season progresses.
Elsewhere, rookie Kyle Anderson totaled four points, eight rebounds, four assists and two steals in a professional debut that spanned 31 minutes.
Matt Bonner drew the start at power forward but scored just five points in 15 minutes while Austin Daye and Ayres chipped in six points apiece.
Coming Up Next
The Rockets and Spurs will have a day off Friday before hosting home games on Saturday. San Antonio will square off against the New Orleans Pelicans while the Rockets are set to do battle with the Golden State Warriors.
Both games are slated to tip off at 8 p.m. ET.
