Houston Rockets Fall to New York Knicks as Porzingis Dominates

169. 107. 27. . 102

10 Points, 9 Rebounds, (4-13 FG)- Another day, another consistent game for Ariza. While he did not have a tremendous scoring game like last night, he did a great job keeping Carmelo Anthony from having a big scoring night holding to his lowest point since the opening game of the season. Not only did Ariza stepped up to lock down Melo, he had a great night rebounding the ball.. SF. Houston Rockets. TREVOR ARIZA. B+

A. 24 Points, 7 Rebounds, and 10 Assists- Harden came out playing some of the best ball of the season in the first quarter. His shots were falling, making plays for his teammates, and step up on the defensive end. Harden played a great all-around game. What made Harden more effective this game, he did not force his game even when they were down in the second half. Though at game end his indecision did seem to cost the Rockets an opportunity to take the lead back his more team oriented effort bodes well for moving forward.. SG. Houston Rockets. JAMES HARDEN

B+. 18 Points, 9 Rebounds, (4-13 FG)- It was not the kind of night that made him a great player, but Jones had a productive night. Alongside Capela, Jones helped protect the paint, and made it a hard place for the Knicks to get buckets. He had a good night rebounding the ball, coming one rebound shy of registering a double-double. His 3-point make at game end gave the Rockets at least a shot of tying things up once more.. PF. Houston Rockets. TERRENCE JONES

C. Houston Rockets. CLINT CAPELA. A+. 16 Points, 14 Rebounds, (7-9 FG)- Capela played some of his best basketball of his pro career. He looked like a miniature Howard with the way he dominated the paint on both ends. Capela played with a lot of energy and grabbed almost every rebound that came his way. The best part of his game was protecting the paint every time a Knick tried to attack the rim. This was the second double-double of Capela’s young career, and was incredible on both ends. With more than half the fourth quarter remaining he had already amassed 16 points and 13 rebounds.

B. 11 Points, 1 assists, (4-11 FG)-It was a nice performance for old man Terry, but there is much he could do at 37-years old. Playing against another veteran in Jose Calderon, he had an easier go tonight than he did versus Mike Conley in Memphis. Subsequently he did enough to hold Calderon somewhat in check and capitalized on his opportunities.. G. Houston Rockets. JASON TERRY

MARCUS THORNTON. B-. 12 Points, (5-8 FG)- After beginning the season on a terror Thornton had cooled off in the past few games. As if knowing it was time to switch things up Marcus chose to mix up his offense and it paid dividends.. F. Houston Rockets

24 Points, 14 Rebounds, 2 Assists- The Future of the big apple is bright with the arrival of Porzingis. Although this is only his first season, he has a smooth inside-outside game similar to Dirk Nowitzki. This guy is going to be something special in this league. His 5 blocks through 3 and half quarters (7 total) showcased how his 7’3″ frame is a factor for opposing teams to deal with that will only improve with time. Although Porzingis had a great night it seemed the goal of the Rockets was to allow the rookie to beat them instead of Carmelo Anthony. His last rebound of the game came with 3 Rockets surrounding him and was the straw that broke the camels back as his subsequent free throws iced the win for New York.. PF. New York Knicks. KRISTAPS PORZINGIS. A+