Houston Rockets vs. Phoenix Suns: Postgame Grades and Analysis
The Houston Rockets created drama in the desert on Tuesday, blowing an early 18-point lead over the Phoenix Suns before pulling away for the 127-118 win. James Harden provided the lion's share of the offense as usual with 40 points.
The Rockets led 41-23 after one quarter, with the Suns kicking around eight turnovers and shooting just 35 percent. But the hosts clawed back to take a lead early in the third quarter, with the Rockets offense completely breaking down in the first six minutes of the second half.
The Suns played a creditable game and showed fight by mounting the comeback, but their defense simply could not slow down a Rockets attack that shot 50.5 percent, drained 15 three-pointers and scored 58 points in the paint. In the final quarter, Harden took over and removed all doubt.
| Patrick Beverley | B |
| James Harden | A |
| Trevor Ariza | B- |
| Donatas Motiejunas | C+ |
| Joey Dorsey | C- |
| Rest of Team | B+ |
| Eric Bledsoe | A- |
| Goran Dragic | B |
| P.J. Tucker | B- |
| Markieff Morris | B- |
| Miles Plumlee | B- |
| Rest of Team | C+ |
Houston Rockets
James Harden, Shooting Guard
During the third quarter, Harden barreled into P.J. Tucker on a drive through the lane, knocking Tucker to the deck. Harden put up a shot and converted, but he landed off balance and slipped as he stabilized himself, clattering down on his left elbow and shoulder.
He went to the bench, giving Rockets fans everywhere palpitations. He did not attempt another shot until early in the fourth quarter, and he buried that attempt from downtown.
And Harden just kept scoring from there, carrying the Rockets to victory and coming within an assist of a triple-double. He dropped half of his 40 points in the fourth quarter to sink the Suns, and his 12 rebounds somehow led all players.
Grade: A
The Houston Chronicle's Jonathan Feigen noted Harden's point total and shared Suns head coach Jeff Hornacek's "praise" report:
Trevor Ariza, Small Forward
Trevor Ariza chipped in double-digit scoring, but he also moved the ball in the offense and created opportunities for teammates. Ten points and five assists is more than Ariza's fantasy owners would hope for from him in a high-scoring affair, but he did enough to get his team the "W."
Grade: B-
Donatas Motiejunas, Power Forward
Donatas Motiejunas failed to make an impact on the boards, grabbing two in 17 minutes, and though he scored 12 points, foul trouble limited his playing time. The Lithuanian picked up his fifth foul with 10:25 remaining and headed to the bench to put a towel over his head.
Those fouls were poorly timed considering the frontcourt did not have the services of Terrence Jones (flu-like symptoms) or Howard (knee), but Josh Smith was more than happy to jump in.
Grade: C+
Patrick Beverley, Point Guard
Patrick Beverley had his scoring touch working in addition to his pesky defense. But he hurt his own cause with a meltdown stretch of 16 seconds in the second quarter, during which he committed three fouls and picked up a technical. That put him at four fouls with four minutes remaining in the first half.
He showed discipline in avoiding another foul for the remainder of the game. Beverley finished with 15 points, six dimes and six rebounds, but he got perhaps a little too three-happy even by the Rockets' standards. The point guard was shooting 3-of-10 from downtown and 3-of-5 inside the arc. Take it to the rack, young fella!
Grade: B
Joey Dorsey, Center
Dwight Howard (knee) did not dress in uniform, which gave him the opportunity to wear this incredible jacket perhaps better suited for an Alice in Wonderland-themed garden party, as shared by Bleacher Report:
No word on what kind of jacket Joey Dorsey wore to the game, but he replaced Howard at center. Dorsey scored two points and—perhaps in tribute to Howard—missed both of his free-throw attempts. He did grab six boards in his 16-plus minutes.
Grade: C-
Rest of Team
Kevin McHale seems to have reined in Josh Smith effectively, and the system suits the jettisoned Detroit Piston anyway. Smith again provided his usual mix of stats and had a strong night aside from getting dunked on. With injuries and foul trouble befouling the Rockets, Smith played 32 minutes and tallied 20 points, six rebounds, three assists, a steal and a block.
The Rockets' Dec. 19 acquisition of Corey Brewer via trade similarly rounded out the rotation and depth, adding another veteran with length and the ability to score. Brewer scored 14 and hauled in seven rebounds.
Kostas Papanikolaou joined in on the second unit's efficiency to get eight points on four shots.
Jason Terry shot threes, and that's about it, but he made two of them on four attempts Tuesday night.
Grade: B+
Phoenix Suns
Goran Dragic, Shooting Guard
Goran Dragic plodded along with Eric Bledsoe drawing the attention, but the combo guard remained patient and efficient. Dragic made several key buckets down the stretch, but the Suns defense just couldn't stop the bombs-away Rockets on the perimeter. Seven of his 20 points came in the fourth, which paled in comparison to Harden's runaway final quarter.
Grade: B
Eric Bledsoe, Point Guard
Bledsoe drove the bus for Phoenix, and he did it by attacking the paint and getting to the foul line. He scored 32 points and made 12 of his 13 foul shots. That's a pretty good James Harden impression, but the opposing team in this case had the real thing. The Suns shared Bledsoe's postgame comments:
Grade: A-
Miles Plumlee, Center
Miles Plumlee started for Alex Len (sprained ankle), and though he didn't play very many minutes, he piled up some impressive defensive stats while he was out there.
Plumlee saw only 17 minutes and change, but he notched five points, seven boards, two steals and four blocks in that time. If you want the per-36-minutes stats for this game, just double those.
Grade: B-
Markieff Morris, Power Forward
Markieff Morris threw down the dunk of the game in the first half, showing hops and temerity in equal measure. However, that was only worth two points even if it sprouted Vines on Twitter.
Morris ended on 16 points, six boards and four assists, but this would have been a good night for him to drop a massive double-double instead of just a massive slam dunk.
Grade: B-
P.J. Tucker, Small Forward
P.J. Tucker made numerous hustle plays that helped along the Suns comeback run in the second and third quarters. He logged 39 minutes, scoring 17 and collecting seven rebounds.
Tucker provides versatility and the workmanship of a veteran who has paid his dues overseas, but the journeyman couldn't guide them past Harden and the Rockets.
Grade: B-
Rest of Team
Isaiah Thomas yet again came to the point guard party, getting to double figures and playing at least 30 minutes, as did both Bledsoe and Dragic. Thomas' 14 points led the bench effort, but he didn't get much support.
Marcus Morris struggled mightily from the field, which is not a good sign against Houston's short-handed frontcourt. In 22 minutes, he missed seven of his eight shots and even committed four fouls. It's no wonder he posted a team-low minus-15 rating.
Gerald Green appeared to tweak his right ankle on a shot in the fourth quarter. He hadn't been much of a factor in the game, despite scoring seven points on 3-of-4 shooting in his 11 minutes.
Brandan Wright looks like Stretch Armstrong or Tayshaun Prince on steroids, yet he did not block a shot Tuesday night. He did, however, get four points and four boards off the bench with Plumlee's minutes in the teens.
Grade: C+
Coming Up Next
The Rockets (36-16) head to Hollywood to complete a tough back-to-back with the Los Angeles Clippers on Wednesday.
The Suns (29-25) cling to a one-game cushion over the New Orleans Pelicans and Oklahoma City Thunder for the eighth and final playoff spot in the West. They have off for the All-Star break until Feb. 20 when they visit the Minnesota Timberwolves.
