Rockets Still Thriving Without Dwight Howard and Other Wednesday NBA Takeaways
Apparently the memo that was supposed to inform the Houston Rockets of their inevitable regression without Dwight Howard got lost somewhere on its way to Toyota Center.
Following a 101-90 victory against the Chicago Bulls Wednesday night, Houston (34-15) is 13-5 sans Howard, who is out indefinitely after receiving a bone marrow aspirate injection, according to the team's medical staff.
This isn't addition by subtraction, to be sure. The Rockets are unequivocally better with Howard in the lineup, evidenced by the 97.4 defensive rating they post when he's protecting the paint, according to NBA.com.
What matters is that Houston has the depth necessary to mask his absence for the time being.
Even though the Rockets tickled the twine at just a 29.6 percent clip from three against the Bulls, a balanced effort that adhered to the team's core principles allowed Kevin McHale's short-handed squad to thrive against a physical opponent.
Not only did it outscore the Bulls, 50-28, in the paint, but a 20-9 transition-scoring advantage helped Houston make up for a lack of proficiency in other areas.
"It’s important to play with pace, anyway," McHale said last week, according to the Houston Chronicle's Jonathan Feigen. "Without Dwight, you don’t have the luxury of throwing it down to him low. But if Terrence can come back and get his legs underneath him, we have another opportunity to throw it down to Terrence. D-Mo has really done well in the post."
As McHale discussed, the Rockets offense loses a key dimension without Howard. However, James Harden's 22-point first half that included 15 second-quarter points and a filthy step-back jumper against Jimmy Butler helped Houston calmly navigate through potentially choppy waters.
And that's kind of been the story all season long. The offense has merely been average by league standards despite pushing the limits of analytical distributions by nearly banishing long two-point shots from the playbook. According to Grantland's Jason Concepcion, "only 0.065 percent of Houston’s 2014-15 baskets come from the much-maligned long-2 range—which, if it holds, would tie the lowest mark ever."
But even when Harden went scoreless and the Rockets shot 0-of-10 from three in the third quarter, Houston continued to clamp down, allowing just 22 points during what could have been a game-changing 12 minutes.
That was fitting, too, since solid team defense has been the lifeblood sustaining Houston's title hopes throughout the 2014-15 season. Building on their third-ranked defensive efficiency rating (99.4), the Rockets held Chicago to 34.8 percent shooting from the field and 32.0 percent shooting from three.
Couple that resiliency with a bench that contributed 27 points, half of the team's total assists and half of its blocks, and there's reason to believe Houston can do more than tread water before Howard's re-evaluation period crops up in four weeks.
Harden was particularly effusive in his praise of the reserves, according to the Houston Chronicle's Jenny Dial Creech:
With Josh Smith limiting opponents to a field-goal percentage 5.7 points below the league average inside of six feet, Terrence Jones providing a bit of bounce and Donatas Motiejunas (15 points, 10 rebounds) emerging as a nightly double-double threat, the Rockets have quickly discovered a safety net that can cushion the blow of losing a top-flight center—and then some.
Around the Association
Steph Splashes For 51
A 24-4 first-quarter hole would be too deep for most NBA teams to crawl out of. The Golden State Warriors are not most NBA teams.
They curbed the turnover woes that created the deficit, pushed the pace and, mainly, got a scorching third quarter from Stephen Curry in their 128-114 win over the visiting Dallas Mavericks.
Curry went supernova in the third, scoring 26 points on 8-of-11 shooting. He hit six of his seven triple tries, many of which were a step-and-a-half behind the arc.
By the 9:42 mark in the period, the Dubs had come all the way back, pulling even with Dallas at 68 apiece.
Golden State never looked back, nursing a lead that reached double digits early in the fourth quarter. Curry finished with 51 points on 16-of-26 shooting (10-of-16 from three), and Klay Thompson chipped in 18 points on 7-of-17 shooting (4-of-10 from three).
Thanks to Curry’s 51-point explosion, Golden State became the first team to boast two 50-point scorers in a single season in 20 years, per ESPN Stats & Info:
As a unit, the Warriors connected on 52.3 percent of their attempts from the field and registered 29 assists on 45 made baskets.
This was a matchup that was supposed to showcase two of the league’s best offenses. What it really illustrated was that the Warriors, when rolling, are a cut above every other scoring attack in the Association.
Your thoughts, Mark Cuban?
-Contributed by Grant Hughes
Westbrook Carried the Day
Playing without Kevin Durant (toe) for the fourth time in their last five games, the Oklahoma City Thunder leaned again, by necessity, on Russell Westbrook.
He delivered, propping up the Thunder with a career-high-tying 45 points on 18-of-31 shooting in a 102-91 road win over the New Orleans Pelicans.
It was typical Westbrook from the start: hyper-aggressive, defiant and relentless. He piled up 19 points in the first period and kept the pressure on throughout the contest. He pushed the pace, buried pull-ups from the elbows and handed out six assists for good measure.
Anthony Davis eclipsed the 20-point mark for the 12th straight game, scoring 23 to lead the Pelicans. It wasn’t enough, though, as New Orleans’ offense completely stalled down the stretch. Oklahoma City held the Pelicans scoreless over the final 5:39 of the contest.
The win pulled the Thunder to within a single game of the Pelicans, who currently hold the No. 9 spot in the West but couldn’t sustain the momentum they’d built by ending the Atlanta Hawks’ 19-game win streak earlier this week.
The Thunder will get a chance to pull even with New Orleans in the two teams’ fourth and final matchup of the year on Feb. 6.
-Contributed by Grant Hughes
Whiteside's Run Continues
Hassan Whiteside’s stat-stuffing surge continued apace in the Miami Heat’s 102-101 loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Easily the league’s most remarkable out-of-nowhere story this season, the 7’0” center went off for 24 points, 20 rebounds, two blocks and three steals on 12-of-13 shooting from the field.
Independent of any context, those numbers are absurd. But when you realize how long it’s been since any other Heat player equaled them, and who that particular player was, it makes the achievement all the more impressive, per ESPN Stats & Info:
Add Wednesday’s exploits to his triple-double on Jan. 25 and his 24-rebound game on Jan. 30, and it’s clear this is more than a hot streak. Whiteside’s production, shocking as it is, feels sustainable.
The only blemish on his record was a late-game miscommunication with Norris Cole that produced one of the season's most egregious bloopers to date:
- Contributed by Grant Hughes
Washington's in a Funk at the Right Time
While the Atlanta Hawks got back on the winning track, the Washington Wizards' slump continued in a 105-96 defeat at Philips Arena.
The Wizards have now lost six of their last eight games, including four straight. However, they did get some good news in the form of losses from Chicago and Toronto.
Since the Rockets blitzed the Bulls and the Brooklyn Nets upended the Raptors, 109-93, Washington didn't lose any ground in a tight Eastern Conference race. Following Wednesday night's action, three games separate Toronto from the fifth-seeded Bulls.
Although Atlanta's starting lineup became the first five-man unit to capture Eastern Conference Player of the Month honors shortly before tipoff, it was Mike Scott who stole the show by posterizing Bradley Beal down the stretch:
Four of Atlanta's five starters finished in double figures, with Al Horford holding things down behind 21 points and 13 rebounds.
John Wall acquitted himself nicely with 24 points, nine helpers and seven rebounds, but he seemingly can't go a game without getting nicked up at this point, according to The Washington Post's Jorge Castillo:
Giannis Keeps Growing
Make it five straight wins for the Milwaukee Bucks after sophomore sensation Giannis Antetokounmpo powered the Central Division grinders to a 113-105 overtime victory against the Los Angeles Lakers.
In 42 minutes, Antetokounmpo recorded a career-high 25 points on 10-of-14 shooting to go with six rebounds and two blocks.
As Bucks head coach Jason Kidd remarked following the win, according to Fox Sports Wisconsin's Andrew Gruman, the Greek Freak's 25 points are just a stepping stone toward bigger and better outputs:
O.J. Mayo's game-tying three with 0.5 seconds remaining in regulation sent the game to overtime, but it was Brandon Knight who dominated the extra session by scoring 12 of his 24 points during the game's decisive minutes.
Indiana Finds Some Mojo in the Flo-Jos
Perhaps the Indiana Pacers should consider a permanent wardrobe change. Donning throwback Flo-Jo jerseys that were popularized in the early to mid-'90s, the Pacers scored a season-high 114 points and shot 57.1 percent from three in a five-point victory over the Detroit Pistons.
Interestingly enough, the Pacers exorcised some Flo-Jo-related demons by squashing the Pistons, via Pacers.com's Mark Montieth:
While George Hill and C.J. Watson teamed up to score 20 and 14 points, respectively, Pistons floor general D.J. Augustin cooled down considerably. He managed 12 points (4-of-14 shooting) and six assists in 32 minutes.
Andre Drummond and his second-ranked rebound rate bludgeoned Indiana to the tune of 18 points and 16 boards (seven offensive), but the Pacers' 59.7 percent conversion rate from the field was too much for Detroit to overcome.
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