Win streak reaches six
The 3-point weapon proves deadly against the Mavs.
The Rockets might not have felt any pressure from the Dallas Mavericks closing within nine points. They might not have noticed. The Rockets knew they could get good shots any time and assumed their share would drop.
There might have been danger in thinking that way, but it was difficult to avoid for one reason — they were right.
Dallas, last in the NBA in scoring and facing a team second in scoring, never seemed to have the firepower to keep pace, even with the Rockets cruising through stretches feeling secure they were on the way to a rout Saturday night. So when Dallas made a move, the Rockets cranked up the 3-point machine and blasted the Mavs 109-87 at Toyota Center as if there never was any doubt. Winning streak hits 6
The Rockets have won their past six games to match Memphis for the longest active streak in the NBA and give the Rockets their longest winning streak since the first six games of 2014-15.
There was reason the Rockets would not bother to look back at the team giving chase.
“They want to do the right thing and they come out all juiced up doing the right thing,” Rockets coach Mike D’Antoni said. “But you know, every NBA game, you just got to work the whole game. Those are a little bit of trap games where you come out all fired up and you let down. You’re a little tired and you can’t get it back.
“We cautioned them and cautioned them. But … they’re professional players and they kind of know what they can do. I wish we would’ve played a little better.”
The Rockets knew that if they could get such good shots at will, they could give away lulls and roll. The Mavericks’ 87 points were the fewest against the Rockets this season. The Rockets’ 51.4 percent 3-point shooting was their season best.
It was little wonder the Rockets thought they could turn it on when necessary, particularly against an injury-diminished team with fewer wins than the Rockets have in succession.
“The team is playing great,” center Montrezl Harrell said. “We’re clicking on all cylinders. Our defense is improving every game.
“It’s fun to play the game right now.”
Still, with things working so smoothly — the Rockets’ 58.3 percent first-half shooting was their best of the season — the team sleepwalked into lulls and shot their way out of them.
“We should be able to get a good shot almost every play down the floor,” said guard Eric Gordon, who had 18 points, all coming on 3-pointers.
When the Rockets went five third-quarter minutes without a field goal as the Mavericks closed to within nine, the Rockets picked up the pace, James Harden found open shooters and Trevor Ariza sank three consecutive 3s. Gordon and Sam Dekker each dropped in 3-pointers as the lead reached 17 points. A coaching disconnect
“Yeah, we’re starting to find it,” said Harden, who had 18 points, 16 assists and nine rebounds despite no points or assists in the fourth quarter. “We’re getting better, but we’re still not where we want to be. The ball moved. We shot the ball well. We played well.”
The Rockets could have played well for longer, but they did not need to. D’Antoni had to admit he could not deny that when his players assumed things he would rather they not, they were right.
“They turned it on when they needed to,” D’Antoni said. “As a coach … you kind of feel silly sometimes.
“You look over there and say, ‘Come on guys, come on, start playing.’ They look at me like ‘What’s his problem?’ ”
If he had a problem, a few ragged minutes on the way to the rout was the sort to have.