Houston gets to be the butt of all our jokes.
The Rockets have the talent to be a championship contender with James Harden and Dwight Howard anchoring the team and an offense that loves to spread the ball and hoist threes. The defense is also not bad, ranking third in the league with a 96.3 defensive rating entering Wednesday’s game.
Houston can feast on weaker teams all it wants but it will get truly measured against the best the NBA has to offer. There are not many better right now than the Grizzlies, coming into the game with a five-game win streak.
Yet again, this season, Houston upended a very good team without Dwight Howard. That narrative about the Rockets not playing defense, not being tough enough to win big games or not being among the title contenders is turning out to be completely untrue. This is a team the league needs to start taking more seriously.
The Rockets gave up the first eight points of the game, but then proceeded to take control of the game in a 105-96 victory at Toyota Center on Wednesday. James Harden scored 21 points and Tarik Black had 10 points and 11 rebounds in yet another start for the injured Dwight Howard.
| Score | Off. Rtg. | eFG% | O.Reb.% | TO% | FTR | |
| Memphis | 96 | 97.1 | 52.6 | 25.6 | 21.2 | 35.5 |
| Houston | 105 | 106.3 | 49.5 | 44.2 | 20.2 | 21.5 |
Mike Conley (MEM) — 15 pts.; Jarnell Stokes (MEM) — 12 pts.
James Harden (HOU) — 21 pts.; Trevor Ariza & Jason Terry (HOU) — 16 pts.
Game to Watch (12/4): Pelicans vs. Warriors, 10:30 p.m./TNT
The fact the Rockets continue to win games and big games continues to be a startling development. And a scary one if they can get Howard back.
The craziest part of Houston’s win over Memphis on Wednesday was that Houston could not rely on its offense. The Grizzlies shot better than 50 percent for the game and still lost. The Rockets shot worse than 45 percent and still won.
Houston’s stereotypical 10 3-pointers sure helps. As does 23 offensive rebounds. This against one of the best rebounding teams in the league.
The Rockets are winning in unexpected ways. That is what good teams have to do. Good teams find a way to win even when they do not have their best stuff. That is what Houston appears to be doing right now.
Another solid win against another solid team without a solid performance. That is the sign it might be time to take the Rockets a little more seriously. They are bucking those trends and perceptions about their team.
And with Howard out now, it seemingly can only get better.
