Rockets Recap
Harden continues to make history as Rockets split four-game week
Jan 14, 2019, 7:06 am
Photo by Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images
Four games, two wins. That was the story of the Rockets this past week as they split the four games scheduled. One of the wins was expected, while the other was necessary. On the other hand, one of their losses was understandable while there was no excuse for the other. Houston is now 24-18, first in the southwest division, and sixth in the western conference.
Postseason feel
The beginning of the week served up two grade-A match ups against the Western Conference leading Denver Nuggets and the league leading Milwaukee Bucks. If there was ever a moment to take stock of the legitimacy of the Rockets' current hot streak, this was it. Monday the Rockets delivered a win in a matchup that, while close, never really felt out of hand. Nuggets center Nikola Jokic did everything he could to keep the Nuggets competitive, but P.J. Tucker, Gerald Green, and James Harden's combined 19 3-pointers proved to be too much to overcome. Clint Capela added a career-high 31 points
Wednesday the Rockets took on Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks in a prime time nationally televised showdown between two of the leagues top MVP candidates. The back and forth contest didn't disappoint as Antetokounmpo went for 27 points and 21 rebounds, while Harden countered with 42 points, 11 rebounds, and 6 assists. It was the Bucks who would come out on top, however, as they rode a 38-23 third quarter to the finish line. Despite the loss, it's become clear that Houston is perfectly capable of competing with any team in the league on any given night.
Statements and head scratchers
Friday night Houston hosted the Cleveland Cavaliers and while a win was reasonably expected, no one imagined that it would turn into the trouncing that it did. The 141-113 devastation of Cleveland could have been worse had the Rockets not sat most of their starters for the entirety of the fourth quarter. Harden continued his brilliance with another 40+ point triple-double. His 43 points, 10 rebounds, and 12 assists was one for the record books.; a triple-double in less than 30 minutes.
Sunday was a different story however, as the Rockets interrupted their home stand for a quick away game against the Orlando Magic. Houston's momentum hit a wall as the team went cold from the 3-point line when it mattered most. Despite a historically awful game from beyond the arc, Harden still finished with 38 points. It was the 16th straight 30+ point performance from Harden, tying Kobe Bryant's record from the 2002-2003 season. The loss came as somewhat of a surprise after a week of great production against quality opponents.
Looking ahead
Houston will look to right the ship immediately, as they take on the Memphis Grizzlies Monday night, followed by a Wednesday match up against the Brooklyn Nets and a nationally televised contest against the Los Angeles Lakers on Saturday.
The Rockets should see the return of Eric Gordon to the lineup at some point in the coming week, and his scoring should serve as a boost to the Rockets' depth. Chris Paul remains out and it looks like he will continue to be out until the end of the month. Despite both players being sidelined, I don't see any reason why Houston can't sweep this week.
Most Popular
SportsMap Emails
Are Awesome
Listen Live
With the Astros now officially ten games under .500 for the season, manager Joe Espada is taking a lot of heat from the fanbase for the team's struggles.
While we don't agree with the sentiment, we even hear fans clamoring for the return of Dusty Baker and Martin Maldonado, thinking the Astros wouldn't be in this mess if they were still here.
Which is ridiculous. First of all, Maldonado has been awful for the White Sox, hitting .048 (even worse than Jose Abreu's .065). And for those of you that think his work with the pitching staff justifies his pathetic offense. Let me say this: Where was Maldy's game calling genius for Hunter Brown, Cristian Javier, and Framber Valdez last year? All of them regressed significantly.
And as far as Baker is concerned, we have no idea how much a difference he would make, we can only speculate. Baker would also be dealing with a pitching staff ravaged with injuries. And let's not forget, Baker was the guy that refused to move Jose Abreu down in the batting order, even though he would finish the regular season with the ninth-worst OPS in baseball.
The reality of the situation is managers can only do so much in baseball. Which leads us to something else that needs to be considered. Is Espada being handcuffed by the front office? Espada and GM Dana Brown both said recently that Jon Singleton was going to get more at-bats while they give Abreu time off to try to figure things out. Yet, there Abreu was in the lineup again in the opening game of the Cubs series.
It makes us wonder how much power does Espada truly have? The Astros have some other options at first base. Yainer Diaz may only have eight games played at the position, but how much worse could he be than Abreu defensively? Abreu already has four errors, and Diaz is obviously a way better hitter. Victor Caratini isn't considered a plus offensive player, but his .276 batting average makes him look like Babe Ruth compared to Abreu. Let him catch more often and play Diaz at first. Starting Diaz at first more often could also lengthen his career long-term.
Maybe that's too wild of a move. Okay, fine. How about playing Mauricio Dubon at first base? I understand he doesn't have much experience at that position, but what's the downside of trying him there? If he can play shortstop, he can play first base. He's driving in runs at a higher rate (11 RBIs) than everyone on the team outside of Kyle Tucker and Yordan Alvarez. And he's producing like that as part-time player right now.
The other criticism we see of Espada is his use of Jon Singleton to pinch hit late in games. Let's be real, though, who else does Espada have on the roster to go to? Batting Abreu late in games in which you're trailing should be considered malpractice. Espada can only use who he has to work with. This all really stems from the Astros poor farm system.
They don't have anyone else to turn to. The draft picks the club lost from the sign-stealing scandal are really hurting them right now. First and second rounders from 2020 and 2021 should be helping you in 2024 at the big league level.
Maybe they go to Astros prospect Joey Loperfido soon, but after a hot start he has only two hits in his last six games.
Finally, we have to talk about what seems like a committee making baseball decisions. Lost in a committee is accountability. Who gets the blame for making poor decisions?
As time continues to pass it looks like moving on from former GM James Click was a massive mistake. He's the guy that didn't sign Abreu, but did trade Myles Straw (recently DFA'd) for Yainer Diaz and Phil Maton. He also built an elite bullpen without breaking the bank, and helped the club win a World Series in 2022.
The reality of the situation is Dusty Baker and James Click are not walking back through that door. And all good runs come to an end at some point. Is this what we're witnessing?
Don't miss the video above as we hit on all the points discussed and much more!
Catch Stone Cold 'Stros (an Astros podcast) with Charlie Pallilo, Brandon Strange, and Josh Jordan. We drop two episodes every week on SportsMapHouston's YouTube channel. You can also listen on Apple Podcast, Spotifyor wherever you get your podcasts.