Houston Rockets: James Harden shines yet again in third-straight victory

The Houston Rockets got it done once again, defeating the Memphis Grizzlies 105-97, leading the entire game. The MVP was dominant in the victory.

James Harden is putting together an extremely good season so far for the Houston Rockets. The team may not be at the level they were expected to be at yet (now back to .500, 14-14), but the Beard is certainly helping in the turnaround.

Harden put up yet another 30-point game, this time with 32, to go along with 32 points, 12 rebounds & 10 assists, his second-consecutive triple-double. He also did so very efficiently, 9/14 from the field and 11/13 from the line.

Speaking of efficiency, the Beard is more efficient than ever this season. This game brings his shooting percentage for the year to 45.4% overall and 37.2% from distance. If he continues to help the Rockets improve, he could seriously find his way back into the Most Valuable Player top-3 conversation for the third straight year.

Gerald Green and Clint Capela

James Harden wasn’t the only player with great games for the Rockets tonight. Others, such as Clint Capela and Gerald Green, also came to play and contributed heavily to the victory.

Gerald Green had arguably his best game of the year. He contributed a much-needed 17 points off the bench for the Rockets tonight and did so efficiently. He was a perfect 4/4 from downtown and was getting buckets all night. Green only missed one shot overall and finished 5/6 from the field.

Clint Capela also had a great game for the Rockets. 20-point games seem to be a regular for Clint this season and tonight was no different. He put up 26 points to go along with 10 rebounds and 2 blocks. His play on both ends of the court was impressive against the big Marc Gasol and the tough Grizzlies defense.

Second half

The Rockets took off in the first half and led 62-40 at the break. From then on, though, the offense wasn’t quite the same. The Grizzlies played much better defense and the Rockets didn’t really attempt to adjust. Chris Paul had 10 points in this game, all in the first half. It was another inefficient night for him, shooting 3/10 from the field but contributing 10 assists.

Eric Gordon also takes some blame in this one. For someone who said he isn’t having fun, he sure seems to be at blame for it. He scored just 4 points and was a guaranteed brick when open from 3, shooting 0/8 from out there. He needs to step up his play if he wants to continue to start when James Ennis returns.

It’s nice to see the Rockets pull it out in the end and get the victory, though. Their next matchup is against the Jazz on Monday night!