Best- I am guilty of being hard on James Harden’s game, but he came out on Friday and played an efficient game that helped lift the Rockets past the Mavericks. Harden and the Rockets came into the bubble as the five seed but with only three games between them and the number two seed for the Western Conference, the Los Angeles Clippers. The Rockets have plenty to play for this NBA season, and Harden is willing to go all out to win.
James Harden is one of the best players and scorers in the NBA today, and he reminded the league and the Mavericks what a force he can be. Harden had a monster game (49PTS 9REB 8AST 1TO 3STL 3BLK 14-20FG 3-93PT 18-21FT) Friday night, but I appreciated his efficiency more. Harden’s stats have never been lacking, but some nasty field goal percentages or high turn over rates can overshadow his otherwise great numbers. So far, Harden is leading the league with 34.6PPG and is well on his way to winning the scoring title this season.
In overtime, Houston dominated the Dallas Mavericks ending the game with a score of 153-149. This performance showed how scary this Rockets team can be with an efficient Harden at the helm. Mix in the intensity of PG Russel Westbrook, and you have yourself a duo that can outmatch anyone in the NBA. The Rockets’ record before the restart was a mediocre 6-4, but if this game was any indication of Harden’s focus level, the Western conference better take notice.
Other Notables: Russell Westbrook, Rockets (PG) – 31PTS 8AST 11REB 2STL 1BLK 6TO; Kristaps Porzingas, Mavericks (PF/C) – 39PTS 16REB 2AST 2STL 1BLK 2TO; CJ McCollum, Blazers (SG) – 33PTS 6AST 3REB 2STL 2TO; Dearon Fox, Kings (PG) – 39PTS 6AST 3REB 1STL 1BLK 3TO; Giannis Antetokounmpo, Bucks (F) – 36PTS 15REB 7AST 1STL 1BLK 2TO.
Worst-Jayson Tatum is one of the league’s brightest young stars, but on Friday, Tatum looked like he was not ready for this restart. Tatum was having the best year of his career (23.3PPG 7.1REB 3AST .9BLK 1.4STL 34.6MPG) pre-bubble, but Friday night, he looked like the Monstars stole his talent during the break. He went 2-18 and 1-2 in free-throws, which was surprising in the worst kind of way. For a team with so much firepower, i.e., Kemba Walker, Gordon Heyward, Jaylen Brown, and Marcus Smart, it is baffling that the Celtics allowed Tatum to keep shooting. Tatum went 0-4 from the three-point line, making it a lot easier for the Bucks to play defense. The five points Tatum accumulated in this game tied his season-low total and the second time this season he had less than 10 points.
In his last nine games, Tatum was averaging 29.8PPG, which is seven more than last season and would put him in third for the year. The Bucks are an excellent defensive team, especially with the powerhouse that is Giannis Antetokounmpo, but the Celtics as a team still had a chance to make a statement. But with Tatum’s awful performance, they were not able to capitalize on this moment and fell to the Bucks, 119-112. Tatum has seven games to get back on track before the playoffs begin, but if he cannot, the Celtics will see their bubble chances burst.
Extra Trash: Khris Middleton, Bucks (F) – 18PTS 8AST 5REB 6-20FG 2-9 3PT; Dillion Brooks, Grizzlies (G) – 15PTS 4AST 4REB 6-16FG 2-9 3PT; Shabazz Napier, Wizards (G) -12PTS 3AST 3REB 4TO 4-13FG 1-5 3PT; Buddy Hield, Kings (G) – 6PTS 4REB 1AST 3TO 2-13FG 1-8 3PT; Seth Curry, Mavericks (G) – 3PTS 1REB 0AST 0-4FG 0-3 3PT 3-6FT.