Houston Rockets Recap: Rockets Out Pace Indy

Houston Rockets Recap:

Following an embarrassing loss to Golden State it was time for the Rockets to come out with a solid effort against a strong defensive Pacer squad.

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I said in the pregame countdown I was counting on the fact James Harden would come out with a great effort in this game since he had one of his poorest performances last time out.

I expected him to register another 30-point effort, but 45-points was even more than I was anticipating. The other key I highlighted was for the Rockets to experience solid efforts from both Harden and Dwight Howard in the same game since we aren’t getting that occurring consistently. On this day it did and the Rockets reaped the benefit.

THE STARTERS

Jan 17, 2015; Houston, TX, USA; Houston Rockets guard James Harden (13) brings the ball up the court during the first quarter against the Golden State Warriors at Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports

THE BENCH

Smith continues to perplex me as he rotates between stand out performances and duds and moments in games where he does something incredible followed by something on the other end of the spectrum. When he and his reserve mates should have been just playing lock down defense they allowed the Pacers to make a run which required the return of Harden and Howard to cement the win. Obviously it’s not all on Smith, but given his veteran skills you would think he would take ownership of that responsibility. It seems to just be part of his character, where he is dialed in 90% of the time, but even on a team he loves he’ll still drift in a game that he feels has already been won, lost or doesn’t matter. He is the ultimate enigma 

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Smith continues to perplex me as he rotates between stand out performances and duds and moments in games where he does something incredible followed by something on the other end of the spectrum. When he and his reserve mates should have been just playing lock down defense they allowed the Pacers to make a run which required the return of Harden and Howard to cement the win. Obviously it’s not all on Smith, but given his veteran skills you would think he would take ownership of that responsibility. It seems to just be part of his character, where he is dialed in 90% of the time, but even on a team he loves he’ll still drift in a game that he feels has already been won, lost or doesn’t matter. He is the ultimate enigma