Houston Rockets vs. New York Knicks: Postgame Grades and Analysis
In a game that predictably finished as a blowout, James Harden and the Houston Rockets beat the New York Knicks, 120-96 on Thursday at Madison Square Garden.
The home fans showed their approval for the now 5-34 Knicks by raining down boos as the Rockets coasted to victory against a roster of mostly anonymous players.
"Thumbs up from the Knicks fans with paper bags on their heads pic.twitter.com/gjB0hTOAg9
— The Cauldron (@TheCauldron) January 9, 2015"
The Rockets were led by Harden, who scored 25 points and dished out nine assists. His stiffest competition on the other end? D-League call-up Langston Galloway or undrafted rookie Travis Wear.
A few other players made their mark on the game, for good or bad. Their grades are as follows:
| James Harden | A |
| Dwight Howard | B+ |
| Trevor Ariza | B+ |
| Josh Smith | F |
| Patrick Beverley | B+ |
| Rest of Team | B |
| Tim Hardaway | D |
| Jose Calderon | D- |
| Pablo Prigioni | C |
| Rest of Team | B |
Houston Rockets
James Harden: A
Harden took advantage of outmatched defenders all night, often appearing to be playing at half-speed and still having no problem getting to the rim.
Every time the Knicks gave him a crease, and they were more than willing to give him plenty, Harden exploited it. Once he split a double-team or made his way into the lane, he had all of the time he could want to decide between shooting or kicking out to a wide-open shooter.
Dwight Howard: B+
If Harden was playing at half-speed, Dwight Howard might well have been chugging along at a quarter of his full capacity. And even at that level of effort, he logged a double-double.
The man-amongst-boys cliche is just too easy for Howard against Cole Aldrich and Jason Smith. When he wanted to, Howard looked more like a bull among rodeo clowns.
"Knicks fan in Knicks jersey yells "You the man, Dwight!"
— CJ Fogler (@cjzero) January 9, 2015"
He wound up with 13 points and 10 rebounds in just 24 minutes.
Trevor Ariza: B+
Trevor Ariza's been about as consistent as the weather in my hometown of Cheyenne, Wyoming during his return season with the Rockets. But Thursday, his shooting was as picturesque as that rare June day when everything's still.
He was second on the Rockets in scoring, with 18 points on 6-of-10 shooting. He was one of Harden's favorite targets on the kick-outs, as he shot 4-of-6 from three-point range.
Josh Smith: F
The Detroit Pistons have won seven straight since they cut Josh Smith, and they're suddenly in the playoff hunt. Smith, meanwhile, continues to struggle in Houston and has to be keenly aware of his former team's success. Who knows what kind of effect that's having on his psyche.
It certainly looked like he was a bit detached mentally on Thursday, almost wandering around the floor at times. And that's not just on offense. On the other end, where effort makes up for lack of X-and-O knowledge, Smith was equally lethargic.
On the bright side, his presence didn't really stop the ball in this one, as it has during other Rockets games. If he can maintain that on offense and return to his old form defensively, the experiment might pan out.
Thursday, it worked to the tune of two points and one rebound in 20 minutes.
Patrick Beverley: B+
Patrick Beverley is a defensive specialist who's actually getting better on offense. He's become a very reliable option to space the floor around Harden and Howard's pick-and-rolls.
He went 4-of-6 from downtown on the way to 14 points. Plus, his typically ferocious defense frustrated any point guard Knicks coach Derek Fisher threw out there.
Rest of Team: B
With almost the entire second half deteriorating into garbage time, some of Houston's role players got a chance to play some pretty big minutes.
Starting power forward Donatas Motiejunas finished with 17 points on 7-of-10 shooting, while Jason Terry and Corey Brewer combined for 25 off the bench. Terry was 3-of-5 from downtown.
New York Knicks
Tim Hardaway: D
The most recognizable name in New York's lineup might well have been Tim Hardaway, and there's a good chance that's just because he's a "Jr."
Regardless, he's the de facto face of the Knicks with Carmelo Anthony and Amar'e Stoudemire out and J.R. Smith and Iman Shumpert shipped off to Cleveland.
He didn't quite live up to his top billing on the Madison Square Garden marquee, finishing with just seven points on 3-of-9 shooting.
Jose Calderon: D-
Within the Knicks' terrible season as a team, there are several individual campaigns that could be kindly deemed "unfortunate."
For Jose Calderon, he has to shoulder the responsibility of being the guy they traded Tyson Chandler for, while playing with teammates who don't do nearly as much for him as the 2013-14 Mavericks did.
On a team where no one demands much defensive attention, nights like this aren't surprising for Calderon. He went 0-of-5 from the field and scored zero points. Fortunately, it wasn't a complete failure, as he did hand out four assists.
Pablo Prigioni: C
Often the light beaming from the lighthouse in the raging tempest that is the 2014-15 New York Knicks, Pablo Prigioni shone bright once again.
Sure, he was a minus-25 for the game, but that's not any worse than Calderon, Hardaway or Jason Smith. At least he hit a few shots, leading all starters with nine points while shooting 3-of-4 from downtown.
Travis Wear: C
Like Reggie Miller said over and over during the broadcast, it's time for the Knicks to start playing the young guys. This season is over. Might as well see what's coming down the pike.
Granted, some of his production came during garbage time, but it could be taken as a good sign that Travis Wear led the team in scoring with 21 points on 9-of-16. Or maybe it should be taken that way, just for Knicks fans' sanity.
Wear may not play real minutes for many other teams in the league, but he's showing some potential to be a stretch 4 if he can develop the other aspects of his game to the point of being at least average.
Rest of Team: B
Wear wasn't the only youngster who had a solid showing. Cleanthony Early and Langston Galloway both looked decent at different moments.
Galloway scored 19, showing some range by hitting three threes. And Early went for 16 while putting some serious athleticism on display.
"The @NYKnicks get creative on the break! #NBARapidReplay @NBAonTNT http://t.co/nN8J4FOhcz
— NBA (@NBA) January 9, 2015"
If any good can come out of this mess, it might just be faster development from one or two of the previously unknown assets.
Coming Up Next
The Rockets will return home Saturday to take on the Utah Jazz at 8 p.m. ET. The Knicks will also be home, taking on the Charlotte Hornets at 1 p.m. ET on Saturday.
Andy Bailey covers the NBA for Bleacher Report. Follow him @AndrewDBailey.
