Doubling down. Literally.
The Rockets report, brought to you by APG&E: Rockets defeat Hornets in Houston 125-110
Feb 5, 2020, 12:15 am
It may take 50 games for the fanbase to buy into Mike D'Antoni's small-ball approach, but they'd struggle to make a hard-case that it hasn't been a winning formula for the Rockets. They've now won four games in a row in which they've played without a traditional center for 90% of the minutes. Their strategy is simple: give up the rebounding battle and win the turnover battle.
It's pretty clear that the Rockets have made the fundamental switch to small-ball as a full-time ideology. Few teams have gone this all-in, but they clearly have confidence in their ability to win this way.
"I think with small ball it's just making good decisions," said P.J. Tucker after the game. "It's all guards out there so everybody making good decisions and making decisions for each other and plays for each other and getting open shots."
At the time of writing this, the Houston Rockets just swung a massive trade for swingman Robert Covington, giving up Clint Capela, Gerald Green, and a first round pick. This means they not only will continue with this style of play, but they've doubled down on it. Houston views the center position as an expendable asset and wings as more conducive to their style of play.
Mike D'Antoni's says the Rockets will continue to use small-ball lineups when Clint Capela comes back. "Yeah, but… https://t.co/ynC1dwxi6h— Salman Ali (@Salman Ali) 1580874478.0
This isn't the proper article to break down a massive trade like this, but it fits in with the ethos - Houston's picked an identity that they want to play and they're going to double down on it for the rest of the season. Whether it'll lead them to the promise land is a different conversation, but there's no question whether or not they believe it.
Star of the game: Games like this remind you how much of an offensive hub James Harden can be by himself for an elite offense if he was asked to. The Rockets surrounded Harden with nothing but shooters for 45 minutes (Isaiah Hartenstein played 3 minutes off the bench) as he tallied 40 points, 12 assists, 9 rebounds, 3 steals, and 1 block on 11 of 26 shooting from the field, 4 of 11 shooting from three-point range, and 14 of 15 shooting from the free throw line.
Honorable mention: On a night where they really needed someone other than James Harden to show up, Danuel House took the bill. House tallied 22 points, 9 rebounds, 3 steals, 1 assist, and 1 steal on 8 of 13 shooting from the field and 6 of 11 from three-point range. Over his last five games, House is averaging 15.0 points, 7.8 rebounds, 2.2 steals, and 0.8 blocks on 44.1% shooting from the field and 43.2% shooting from three-point range. House seems to have his confidence back, his jumper is falling again, and he's imposing his will in transition.
Key moment: Much like Sunday night against the Pelicans, Sunday night is where Houston really bunkered down defensively, allowing only 22 points and out-rebounding the Pelicans 13-9. James Harden completely destroyed Charlotte's defense in this quarter as well, scoring 14 of his 40 points on 5 of 10 shooting from the field and 3 of 6 shooting from beyond the arc.
Up next: The Rockets travel to Los Angeles at 9:30 on Thursday to take on the Lakers.
Most Popular
SportsMap Emails
Are Awesome
Listen Live
C.J. Stroud and Anthony Richardson found themselves in the same spot when they met in Week 2 last season.
Both quarterbacks were top-five draft picks, lost their season openers and seemed to be facing a steep learning curve.
Richardson won Round 1 in Houston, although he didn't finish the game.
Stroud took Round 2 in Indianapolis with the injured Richardson watching from the sideline as Texans clinched the AFC South title and Stroud locked up his runaway selection as NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year.
On Sunday, each QB begins his second pro season — with a lot still to prove.
“I’m excited. First official game back with my guys and my teammates,” said Richardson, who had season-ending shoulder surgery last October. "I want to win. So, whatever I’ve got to do to do that, I’m going to do it.”
Winning a season opener certainly would be a welcome change for a franchise that last started 1-0 in 2013. The 10-game winless streak is easily the NFL's longest active streak.
But that's just a start for Richardson.
He needs to improve his accuracy after completing a pedestrian 59.5% of his throws in 2023 and must demonstrate he can finish games. He missed 13 last season and only finished one of his four starts because of an assortment of injuries, including the concussion that knocked him out of that Week 2 matchup at Houston after he ran for two scores.
Stroud, meanwhile, is coming off one of the most successful rookie seasons in NFL history.
He became just the third player in a half-century to lead the league in yards passing per game (273.9) and touchdown-to-interception ratio (4.6 to 1), won a playoff game and made hist first Pro Bowl appearance.
How can he improve on a season like that? By showing last season was a building block — not a fluke. He has a stronger supporting cast, too, with Joe Mixon, a four-time 1,000-yard rusher, and Stefon Diggs, who has four straight 100-catch seasons, now in the mix.
The long journey begins Sunday in Indianapolis.
“I want to just start fast,” Stroud said. “It doesn't have to do with a certain game, just in general this season. Last year, we started off really slow and just kind of had to build our way back. It's not an easy thing to do, so I would say this year we want to start fast.”
Nico vs. Colts
Houston receiver Nico Collins had two of his biggest games last season against Indy — catching seven passes for 146 yards and one TD in the Week 2 matchup only to outperform those numbers with a 195-yard day that included a 75-yard TD catch in Week 18.
He could play an even bigger role this time with Indy's young secondary trying to match up not only with Collins but also Diggs, Mixon and tight end Dalton Schultz.
“Nico is a playmaker,” Texans coach DeMeco Ryans said. “Every time I see him, he’s a true playmaker. So, you just have to get Nico the ball in any way, shape or fashion. Just find a way to get him the ball just to see how explosive and how dynamic he is.”
Taylor made
Injuries and a contract dispute prevented Jonathan Taylor from replicating the form he used to win the 2021 NFL rushing title. Starting against the Texans could be just what he needs.
In six games against Houston, Taylor has rushed for seven TDs and 135.2 yards per game — his highest average against any team he's faced multiple times. And in that rematch with Houston in Week 18, he finished with 30 carries for 188 yards, the NFL's highest single-game total all season.
Confident Anderson
Houston defensive end Will Anderson, last season’s AP Defensive Rookie of the Year, will play Sunday after recovering from an ankle injury that limited his training camp snaps.
The No. 3 overall pick in 2023 had 45 tackles, 10 for loss, and 7 1/2 sacks as a rookie. He expects to be even better this season.
“I’m way more comfortable,” he said. “Just going into Year 2 knowing the scheme better, knowing what to expect a little bit more and knowing what’s going to happen gives you more confidence.”
Pass rush
The Colts lost their 2023 sacks leader, Samson Ebukam, with a torn Achilles tendon during training. But they may have the perfect replacement.
Laiatu Latu was the first defensive player taken in April's draft, at No. 15 overall, and he's shown coaches that the moves he used to record 23 1/2 sacks over his last two college seasons can work in the NFL.
“We know that there’s going to be a learning curve there," defensive coordinator Gus Bradley said. "We know there are going to be plays that we’re going to come in and say there were some good plays, and there were plays he wishes he had back — we understand that. But just his overall mentality and skill set, we’re very excited to see.”