Player grades from the Houston Rockets’ win vs. Washington Wizards

JAMES HARDEN. A+. James Harden entered this game struggling, but was able to snap out of it in a major way against the Wizards. Harden came out aggressive in the first quarter, as he led all players with 12 points, and was the leading scorer at the half with 21 points. For as great as he was in the first half, Harden shot just 33.3 percent from deep and only got to the charity stripe five times. The second half was a much different story, as he shot 4-for-8 from three and 12-of-13 from the free throw line. In the third quarter, Harden’s 21 points led all players, and his 17 points in the fourth quarter tied with Bradley Beal for a game-high. The more remarkable thing about Harden’s fourth quarter performance is that he nearly sat out half the quarter, as he scored all 17 of his points within the final 7 minutes and 43 seconds of the game. Harden had a true shooting percentage of 73.9 percent and iced the game with his free throw with two seconds remaining and a defensive stop of Rui Hachimura.. Guard. Houston Rockets

B+. Clint Capela had 21 points, 12 rebounds and 3 assists on the night. Capela had a very efficient field goal percentage, as he shot 9-for-13 from the field, which was good for 69.2 percent from the field. Capela’s 11 points during the second quarter led all Rockets players, in addition to his 4 rebounds in the quarter, which were also a team best. Capela had five offensive rebounds on the game, which was a game-high, and his 12 rebounds tied for a game-high. However, Capela shot 42.7 percent from the free throw line, as he shot 3-of-7 from the charity stripe. This will have to improve, as the Rockets will surely want to see Capela shooting at least 65 percent or better from the free throw line.. Center. Houston Rockets. CLINT CAPELA

RUSSELL WESTBROOK. A. The best part of Russell Westbrook’s game was by far the fourth quarter, which continues his trend of stepping up in the final period this season. In the fourth quarter of the game, Westbrook had 14 points, shooting 6-for-9 from the field, which was good for 66.7 percent. He also led all Rockets with eight rebounds and had a triple-double yet again, as he finished with 17 points, 12 assists, and 10 rebounds. Through the first three quarters, Westbrook had only 3 points on 1-of-7 shooting from the field, but had all 12 of his assists, as he was able to find ways to contribute despite struggling from the field. Westbrook had 10 of the Rockets final 23 points in the fourth quarter and was one of only two players in the game with double-digit assists. In addition, his 12 assists were a game-high.. Guard. Houston Rockets

C+. P.J. Tucker struggled in the game, as he shot 1-of-4 from downtown, which is one of his biggest contributions, if not the biggest one. Tucker also finished the game with five fouls, which resulted in three free points for the Wizards, not to mention an and-one in the fourth quarter by Bradley Beal. Tucker had nine points on 3-for-7 from the field, but had three steals, which tied for a game-high. Tucker also had a point differential of plus-9, which led all starters on the game.. Forward. Houston Rockets. P.J. TUCKER

Danuel House was another bright spot for the Rockets, especially with his shooting. House had a very efficient 16 points on 5-for-9 shooting, giving him a 55.6 field-goal percentage. House shot 4-of-7 from three, and had a 3-point percentage of 57.1 percent, which led all Rockets starters. In addition, House shot 100 percent from the free throw line, and had seven rebounds, including three on the offensive end. To put that into perspective, House had only one offensive rebound through the first three games, and tripled that productivity within this one game alone. House also had two steals, which tied him for second best on the team. In addition, House had the best offensive rating and defensive rating amongst all Rockets players who appeared in at least 20 minutes of action.. Small Forward. Houston Rockets. DANUEL HOUSE. A+