BACK IN THE FOLD, SMITH HELPS LIGHT A FIRE UNDER ROCKETS IN WIN OVER MAVERICKS
The Rockets trailed Sunday against the Dallas Mavericks but really did not mind.
They had been revived by one key addition, a radical lineup change and the way so much seemed different.
Josh Smith felt like the ingredient that completes a formula and makes a liquid in a beaker combustible. But more than that, he ignited the Rockets.
They had been changed. When they could not make shots in the first half, they
knew they would. When they trailed by 11 in the second half, they knew they would rally. When they took their small lineup and made it smaller, they were certain it would work, then surged to a 17-point lead and a 115-104 takedown of the Mavs.
The comeback was the Rockets’ eighth of the season from a double-digit deficit. It was just the Mavericks’ second loss in 22 games when taking a lead to the fourth quarter.
But the Rockets were not the least bit surprised, seeming vastly different from the team that began the week.
“It was a fire that was there,” Rockets interim coach J.B. Bickerstaff said. “You
could feel it burning. The energy was there. It was a great enthusiasm.
“To me, the togetherness of this team, you can see it. I think that makes all the difference in the world. When everybody’s a part of it, when everybody’s connected, that’s the difference of this team. I think we’re starting to find that.”
They found it with the return of Smith and the move to a small lineup that allowed him and James Harden to work in the middle of the floor with spacing and shooters around them.
Ariza lights it up
The benefits were quickly obvious with Trevor Ariza, starting at power forward for a second consecutive game, sinking four of five 3-pointers in the first quarter on his way to a season-high 29 points.
His early scoring kept the Rockets in the game, and it demonstrated how well they were moving the ball to open looks. The rest of the Rockets were just 1-of-17 shooting 3s in the first half, but they believed if they continued to get those shots, they would make them.
Second-half surge
They were right. The Rockets made 55.8 percent of their shots, 45.5 percent of their 3s in a 65-point second half. As with Friday’s game, Harden was playmaking easily. He had 23 points, 15 rebounds and 10 assists for his second triple-double in three games. For the second consecutive game, he had just two turnovers.
“It’s fun out there,” Harden said, “when you’re playing like that and the ball’s moving, guys are making shots, and we’re helping each other defensively.”
When Smith was in the middle of his run, driving on Dirk Nowitzki and putting in a jump hook over him, Harden led the bench in celebration.
“Yeah, I am (having fun,)” Harden said. “I think we all are. Guys are getting open shots. The entire game changes, and the fun is definitely back.”
But the game did not entirely change until Smith again added the necessary second-half jolt off the bench.
The Rockets trailed by eight when he checked in with 5½ minutes remaining in the third quarter. Harden passed to Ariza for his fifth of six 3-pointers. Smith set up Pat Beverley for another 3. Smith drove to a hard slam, starting him on a run of 10 points in the final 15 minutes that left the Mavericks with few matchup options.
Negating Nowitzki
They tried playing Nowitzki on Smith, but as with last season’s playoff series, that proved a bad matchup. Nowitzki played just four fourth-quarter minutes, going scoreless in the quarter.
Smith had a seasonhigh 16 points with three rebounds, two assists, two steals and two blocks. He also brought a joy that had often been lacking. When the Rockets made their run, they delighted not just in the comeback but in his success, as if he was what they missed.
“They brought Smoove back in here, a veteran player, someone who understands the flow of game,” Ariza said. “He’s just been huge for us.”
Smith also was typical of the Rockets’ play since his return, full of energy, enthusiasm and renewed confidence that has seemed to leave a tough first half of the season behind.