Unlikely blowout
The Rockets report, brought to you by APG&E: Short-handed Rockets team trumps Timberwolves 125-105
Nov 16, 2019, 10:02 pm
This was a game the Rockets were supposed to lose. Missing four out of your top six rotation players on a back-to-back is the definition of a "schedule loss". However, the Rockets persevered through and came away with their seventh straight win and probably their second most impressive win of the season (the Clippers win being the first). From the start, it was clear that James Harden's intentions going into this game was to put the team on his back and pray that he finds contributions from any of the remaining role players.
Harden took 41 shots - the most field goals attempted since Kobe Bryant's retirement performance (50 field goal attempts, 60 points).
Fortunately for Harden, young players Isaiah Hartenstein and Chris Clemons came to play, with team highs of +26 and +32 respectively. Hartenstein wasn't an offensive threat, but he grabbed a monster 16 rebounds, hustled on the offensive glass (5 offensive rebounds), and played hard enough to replace some of the production the Rockets missed with Clint Capela being out with a concussion. Clemons, the sharpshooter from North Carolina, didn't shy away an inch, scoring 19 points on 55.6% shooting from beyond the arc.
The Rockets also got solid contributions from Ben McLemore (20 points on 4 of 11 shooting from three-point range) and Austin Rivers (19 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal, and 1 block on 8 of 17 shooting from the field). Top to bottom, this was a fantastic team performance for the Rockets. It's the type of character win that will come to define their season.
Star of the game: It may not have been his most efficient performance, but James Harden was certainly effective and led a team lacking four out it's six best players to victory. Harden logged 49 points, 6 assists, and 5 rebounds on a pedestrian (for him) 53.4% true shooting, but was 8 for 22 from three-point range and a +16 in the 39 minutes he played. It was more Harden's command of the game and his leadership that showed through than his scoring.
Honorable mention: Chris Clemons has proven to be useful in every game he's played for the Rockets this season and this was no different. The 5'9" point guard tallied 19 points and 2 steals on 7 of 11 shooting from the field and 5 of 9 shooting from three-point range. Clemons was also a team-high +32 in 28 minutes. When healthy, Houston's guard rotation is too deep for him to find playing time. However, it's games like this that Clemons can prove to be useful to the Rockets until they find a permanent role for him in the future.
Key moment: There was a point in the first quarter where the Rockets looked like they were going to fold. Down by 11 and lacking firepower, nobody would have blamed them for doing so. Then, the Rockets went on a 11-2 run, in which James Harden scored 8, to cut the lead to 2.
Up next: The Rockets go back home to Houston to play the Portland Trail Blazers at 7:00 p.m. on Monday.
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It’s May 1, and the Astros are turning heads—but not for the reasons anyone expected. Their resurgence, driven not by stars like Yordan Alvarez or Christian Walker, but by a cast of less-heralded names, is writing a strange and telling early-season story.
Christian Walker, brought in to add middle-of-the-order thump, has yet to resemble the feared hitter he was in Arizona. Forget the narrative of a slow starter—he’s never looked like this in April. Through March and April of 2025, he’s slashing a worrying .196/.277/.355 with a .632 OPS. Compare that to the same stretch in 2024, when he posted a .283 average, .496 slug, and a robust .890 OPS, and it becomes clear: this is something more than rust. Even in 2023, his April numbers (.248/.714 OPS) looked steadier.
What’s more troubling than the overall dip is when it’s happening. Walker is faltering in the biggest moments. With runners in scoring position, he’s hitting just .143 over 33 plate appearances, including 15 strikeouts. The struggles get even more glaring with two outs—.125 average, .188 slugging, and a .451 OPS in 19 such plate appearances. In “late and close” situations, when the pressure’s highest, he’s practically disappeared: 1-for-18 with a .056 average and a .167 OPS.
His patience has waned (only 9 walks so far, compared to 20 by this time last year), and for now, his presence in the lineup feels more like a placeholder than a pillar.
The contrast couldn’t be clearer when you look at José Altuve—long the engine of this franchise—who, in 2024, delivered in the moments Walker is now missing. With two outs and runners in scoring position, Altuve hit .275 with an .888 OPS. In late and close situations, he thrived with a .314 average and .854 OPS. That kind of situational excellence is missing from this 2025 squad—but someone else may yet step into that role.
And yet—the Astros are winning. Not because of Walker, but in spite of him.
Houston’s offense, in general, hasn’t lit up the leaderboard. Their team OPS ranks 23rd (.667), their slugging 25th (.357), and they sit just 22nd in runs scored (117). They’re 26th in doubles, a rare place for a team built on gap-to-gap damage.
But where there’s been light, it hasn’t come from the usual spots. Jeremy Peña, often overshadowed in a lineup full of stars, now boasts the team’s highest OPS at .791 (Isaac Paredes is second in OPS) and is flourishing in his new role as the leadoff hitter. Peña’s balance of speed, contact, aggression, and timely power has given Houston a surprising tone-setter at the top.
Even more surprising: four Astros currently have more home runs than Yordan Alvarez.
And then there’s the pitching—Houston’s anchor. The rotation and bullpen have been elite, ranking 5th in ERA (3.23), 1st in WHIP (1.08), and 4th in batting average against (.212). In a season where offense is lagging and clutch hits are rare, the arms have made all the difference.
For now, it’s the unexpected contributors keeping Houston afloat. Peña’s emergence. A rock-solid pitching staff. Role players stepping up in quiet but crucial ways. They’re not dominating, but they’re grinding—and in a sluggish AL West, that may be enough.
Walker still has time to find his swing. He showed some signs of life against Toronto and Detroit. If he does, the Astros could become dangerous. If he doesn’t, the turnaround we’re witnessing will be credited to a new cast of unlikely faces. And maybe, that’s the story that needed to be written.
We have so much more to discuss. Don't miss the video below as we examine the topics above and much, much more!
The MLB season is finally upon us! Join Brandon Strange, Josh Jordan, and Charlie Pallilo for the Stone Cold ‘Stros podcast which drops each Monday afternoon, with an additional episode now on Thursday!
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