GOT IT COVERED Stingy defense makes up for spotty shooting
The Rockets put up their 3-pointers rapidly and floored the Spurs’ defenders mercilessly Monday night. James Harden and Chris Paul made sure there was some national television eye candy. But that was not the point.
The Rockets, as they have with increasing frequency, dominated with defense. What little was left of the Spurs could not change that. From the makeshift lineups to the triangleand-two defense San Antonio trotted out in the second half, the Spurs never seemed much of a threat, with the Rockets making
sure the energy remaining for their fifth game in a week was spent defensively
They squeezed the life from the Spurs’ offense long enough for just a few offensive bursts to be enough to send them to a 26-point lead on the way to a 109-93 rout at Toyota Center. With their 12th consecutive home victory, tying the third-longest home winning streak in franchise history, the
Rockets moved two games in front of the Warriors in the race for the Western Conference’s top seed.
That seemed especially relevant with the Spurs dropping to a tie for eighth; 10th when applying the tiebreakers.
If that was not enough of an indication of how much fortunes have changed, the Rockets’ attitude adjustment was as apparent. The Rockets locked down the Spurs until the benches were cleared, never seeming in any jeopardy even on the occasions the lead shrank and the Spurs would normally be within range.
“No compromise defensively,” forward P.J. Tucker said. “Offensively, we’re going to do what we do. But the emphasis is on defense, getting stops. We know if we get stops, we’re going to score the ball. Whether we have energy or we’re making shots, we’re still going to produce. It’s all based on us getting stops.”
A night after holding the Mavericks to 82 points, the fewest the Rockets have allowed this season, they limited the Spurs to 70 through three quarters on 38.7 percent shooting. They have held three of their last four opponents shy of 100, moving to 25-2 this season when teams fail to reach 100 points. That’s seven more games keeping opponents from 100 points than last season, with 15 games still left to play.
Who were those guys?
With Kawhi Leonard in his final days on the injury rehabilitation shelf and LaMarcus Aldridge out with a sore knee, the Spurs looked decreasingly less like themselves. They did not even dress like the Spurs, wearing camouflage uniforms as if they were trying to go unnoticed.
“It is strange, but without Kawhi, that’s tough. They missed a number of guys,” Paul said. “If anybody’s going to find a way, Pop (Spurs coach Gregg Popovich) will find a way.”
Tony Parker had some throwback flashes in the first half before the Rockets went back to switching on screens for him. Davis Bertans tossed in some 3s when the Spurs made a brief move. But generally, the shorthanded Spurs (Manu Ginobili was rested) were outmatched, leading for 26 seconds before the Rockets set out on a rout without shooting particularly well.
“We made big plays defensively,” Luc Mbah a Moute said. “Some switches messed up on Tony Parker. But when we got back to switching aggressively defensively, we were able to take them out of what they were doing, and we felt comfortable from then on. They play the way they always play. They move the ball. They cut. We had to be sharp in our switches.”
In the five games in five cities the Rockets squeezed into seven days, they gave up the third-fewest points on the fourth-best defensive rating in the league.
Stars’ minutes limited
They did show off some of their offensive repertoire. Harden dropped Brandon Paul into the lane with one slick move in the first half to set up a Nene layup. He hit a 3-pointer after Paul fell to his feet trying for a steal and drove to the rim relentlessly in the third quarter, scoring 16 of his 28 points.
When the Spurs cut a lead that had reached 26 to 15, Chris Paul took over early in the fourth quarter, setting up Gerald Green for a 3-pointer before ballhandling his way free from Bryn Forbes for a jumper and a 3-pointer to push the lead back to 23.
That earned Paul an early seat with 18 points and nine assists in just 23 minutes. Harden was already out, having played only 29 minutes.
They had given ESPN enough highlights. The Rockets were in command with defense.
“That’s our objective every single game,” Harden said, “To control the game, the tempo, defensively.”