HOUSTON — In what symbolized Friday night for the Houston Rockets, James Harden, the master of the lob pass during his MVP-type season, sent one to Clint Capela, a man quite capable of converting such plays. More
At the heart of it all was an idea. What if the great fault of the 2015–16 Houston Rockets, peevish and middling, was a reliance on half measures? More
Ethan Skolnick’s Power Rankings (12/19)
Russell Westbrook and James Harden both signed contract extensions last summer, and they could do it again next July. Under the new collective bargaining agreement, the Oklahoma City Thunder and Houston Rockets superstars will be grandfathered into eligibility for the “super-max” contracts that will be available with the new designated player veteran exception, via The Vertical’s Adrian Wojnarowski: More
James Harden and Russell Westbrook are both one-man shows. They’re traveling visual art performances, spectacular and ridiculous, while simultaneously defying the team nature of the sport they play and showing the importance of a few good players around them. On Wednesday, after Westbrook had one the duo’s first clash of the year, Harden won out with just enough help from his teammates. More
OAKLAND, Calif. — Get out your erasers, NBA historians. The Houston Rockets and Golden State Warriors could be shooting for a record when they meet for the first time this season Thursday night.
The Rockets will put their streak of having made at least 10 3-pointers in 17 straight games on the line against a team that owned the NBA perimeter last year.
Houston’s James Harden (55), Eric Gordon (55) and Trevor Ariza (52) all rank among the Top 10 this season in 3-pointers made, and Ryan Anderson (45) isn’t far outside the group, lifting the Rockets (13.8 per game) into a tie with Cleveland for the team lead.
Both are attempting to unseat the Warriors as the reigning 3-point kings. Golden State (13.1) easily outdistanced the field in 3-point success last year.
Along the way, the Warriors (21) combined with the Dallas Mavericks (18) to set an NBA record for most 3-pointers made in a game (39) on March 25, 2016.
The Warriors and Rockets get their first crack at bettering that mark this season on Thursday night.
Houston has moved ahead of Golden State in the category this season by shooting more often from 3-point distance and doing it with greater accuracy.
In their first season under coach Mike D’Antoni, the Rockets have increased their 3-point attempts from 30.9 per game to 36.6, and their percentage of success from 34.7 to 37.8.
Other than embracing the up-tempo style…