Rockets cap impressive 2019 with blowout of Nuggets - Chron
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Houston Rockets guard James Harden (13) celebrates after making a 3-pointer during the second quarter of an NBA game at the Toyota Center on Tuesday, Dec. 31, 2019, in Houston.
Photo: Jon Shapley/Staff PhotographerHouston Rockets guard James Harden (13) celebrates after making a 3-pointer during the second quarter of an NBA game at the Toyota Center on Tuesday, Dec. 31, 2019, in Houston.
Houston Rockets guard James Harden (13) celebrates after making a 3-pointer during the second quarter of an NBA game at the Toyota Center on Tuesday, Dec. 31, 2019, in Houston.
Houston Rockets guard James Harden (13) celebrates after making a 3-pointer during the second quarter of an NBA game at the Toyota Center on Tuesday, Dec. 31, 2019, in Houston.
When the Rockets offense was right, it was as strong as it had been against a strong defensive team as it had been all season.
For a few minutes, that did not seem enough.
A 17-point lead was reduced to three. The Nuggets were offering reminders of their second-half takeover in Denver when the Rockets had their lowest scoring game of the season. For all the Rockets had done to build the lead, they would have to do it again.
They didn’t. They were better. The Rockets dominated the fourth quarter, blowing out the Nuggets, 130-104, bringing in the New Year with the NBA’s best record in 2019.
The Rockets did it as they draw it up, with James Harden scoring 35 points on 10 of 17 shooting, Russell Westbrook had 28 points with seven assists and Clint Capela returning from his bruised heel to get 16 points and 10 rebounds in 30 minutes.
The Rockets also got another strong game off the bench from Isaiah Hartenstein, whose play when Capela was out moved him into the rotation. Hartenstein had 16 points with 11 rebounds, his first career double-double, in just 18 minutes.
Nikola Jokic led the Nuggets with 21 points, but was unable to trigger the Nuggets offense as he typically does, finishing with four assists and six turnovers.
Facing the team that limited them like no other, the Rockets clicked offensively from the start, taking their largest lead of the first half when Danuel House Jr. beat the buzzer with a corner 3 that perfectly demonstrated how they did it.
The Rockets shot much better than they did that night in Denver, when they scored a season-low 95 points. By halftime, they had made 9 of 16 3-pointers, and made 17 of 26 shots in the paint. But more than hot shooting, the Rockets’ execution generated good shots inside and out.
They would argue that they had good looks in the previous meeting. But the ball movement was sharper, leading to more of their good shots, including many when the Nuggets sent the double teams they used through the game in Denver.
On the final possession of the half, Harden worked the clock down, waiting for the double-team he knew was coming. The Nuggets sent the double off Westbrook, but rotated to him, leaving House open in the corner with Harden’s pass finding him just in time.
With Harden and Capela back after sitting out Sunday, and Eric Gordon in his second game back after six weeks of rehabilitation following knee surgery, the Rockets had their full rotation together for the first time since Nov. 11. The difference showed in the first half with Capela getting 11 points and nine rebounds, while Gordon made 3 of 4 3s.
The Rockets, however, faded badly in the third quarter. While the Rockets made just 1 of 8 3-pointers, they also committed more turnovers in the third quarter (7) than in the entire first half (5.) The Rockets scored 23 third-quarter points. The Nuggets scored 21 just off turnovers or second shots, reducing the lead to just three.
The Rockets, however, took off as if they flipped a switch on a time machine back to the first half. They scored the first nine points of the quarter and rolled up 21 in the first six minutes, turning what had been a tense, tight game between two of the West’s best into a sudden blowout.
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