Houston Rockets: Player grades from 118-111 win over Toronto Raptors

Houston Rockets P.J. Tucker, James Harden, Tyson Chandler (Photo by Garrett Ellwood/NBAE via Getty Images)

The Houston Rockets had some standout performances in their 118-111 victory over the Toronto Raptors on Thursday in Tokyo, Japan.

Behind a balanced effort from their superstars Russell Westbrook and James Harden, the Houston Rockets avenged their Tuesday loss to the Toronto Raptors, winning 118-111 to go to 3-1 in the preseason. It was a better all-around effort from the Rockets, as they had five players score in double figures and two players finish with nine points each.

After struggling on the glass in their first matchup, Houston was much more active in that regard. The Rockets drew even with Toronto at 52 total rebounds thanks to efforts from PJ Tucker and Isaiah Hartenstein in addition to Clint Capela doing what he usually does.

Down 63-55 at the half and by 14 in the third quarter, this time it was James Harden and company that rallied to make certain the NBA Japan Games would end in a 1-1 tie. While Clutch City was cold from the outside at 17-for-64 (26.6 percent), Toronto wasn’t exactly making it rain either, finishing 11-for-37 (29.7 percent).

Russell Westbrook finished with 22 points, four assists and three rebounds, while James Harden pitched in 22 points of his own in addition to nine assists and three boards to pace Houston.

https://twitter.com/HoustonRockets/status/1182294718727761920?s=20

Norman Powell led the way for the Raptors, putting in 22 points and pulling down three boards. Pascal Siakam also contributed 16 points and seven boards, while Fred VanVleet pitched in 10 points and 10 assists.

Some of Houston’s supporting cast had standout games while others would like to forget Thursday evening. Here are the individual grades for every Rocket (that played more than three minutes).

Next: The Starters

Houston Rockets Russell Westbrook and James Harden (Photo by Bill Baptist/NBAE via Getty Images)

The Houston Rockets Starters

Next: The Bench

Isaiah Hartenstein Houston Rockets (Photo by Kazuhiro NOGI / AFP) (Photo by KAZUHIRO NOGI/AFP via Getty Images)

The Houston Rockets Bench

With two more preseason games left, expect Mike D’Antoni to start rounding out his lineup in the coming days. With all fringe players having mixed performances, deciding who won’t make the roster is undoubtedly going to be tough.

Next up, Houston returns home on Oct. 16 at 8 p.m. ET to face the San Antonio Spurs.

The Houston Rockets had some standout performances in their 118-111 victory over the Toronto Raptors on Thursday in Tokyo, Japan.

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