Bring in closer
Harden douses New Orleans’ bid with 19 points in 4th
NEW ORLEANS — The Pelicans, or what was left of them after much of their former future of the Lakers was forced to sit out, were hanging around far longer than seemed to make sense or than the Rockets could stomach.
The Rockets were not in trouble, but their lead was still a shaky four points with 7½ minutes remaining Monday night. James Harden had struggled far too long, making 1 of 9 3-pointers, to indicate he would bail the Rockets out.
With that, he took off. Layup, layup, 3-pointer, 4-point play on a 3-pointer and free throw. When he added a pair of free throws, he had a 13-0 run and the
Rockets were on their way past the Pelicans 122-116 for their season-best fourth consecutive win.
“I wasn’t really getting to the rim the first three quarters,” Harden said after scoring 19 points in the final 7½ minutes to finish with 39. “I was settling and kind of just being passive a little bit. I wanted to be more aggressive whether it was shooting my shot or getting to the
basket, and I was doing that.”
Harden made 10 of 14 shots inside the 3-point line, all at the rim or heading that direction. His last blast came for the most pressing of reasons.
“It’s go time,” he said. “The fourth quarter is winning time. You have to be more aggressive and make plays whenever they come to you, whether it’s my shot or getting to the basket, shoot
ing my floater. Making the right play, not necessarily scoring. There’s plenty of opportunities in that fourth quarter, and I just took advantage of it.”
Yet, just as the Rockets did not believe the Pelicans, playing without leading scorer Brandon Ingram with Lonzo Ball already out, should have been in the game so long, coach Mike D’Antoni seemed increasingly annoyed with the difficulty in putting another team away.
The Rockets have held double-digit leads in nine of 10 games this season. But even if Harden’s fourthquarter blast built a 17-point lead, D’Antoni focused on the difficulty in building upon leads and the missteps along the way that have made things difficult.
“That’s what he does,” D’Antoni said of Harden’s run before quickly changing the subject. “It shouldn’t have been four points. We kept getting up and then we’d lose guys (defensively) or made bonehead plays. Those are things we’ve got to get better at.
“I hope it’s because we’re a little out of shape. I don’t know. After a while, you quit making excuses. We got to close games out. We got to play better. We got to play smart. Tonight, I didn’t think we did. Good enough to win. OK. But that’s not where we want to be.”
There were the signs of improvement from the ragged start to the season. For most of the game, the Rockets defended well when they kept the Pelicans in the halfcourt without the help that came from the Rockets’ 12-of-41 3-point shooting and 19 turnovers.
“We made some mistakes and everything,” said center Clint Capela after getting 20 rebounds for a second consecutive game, the fourth straight he has set or matched his season high for rebounds. “I feel like as long as there is that intensity and engagement in defense, this is the most important thing. You’re going to make mistakes. It won’t be perfect every time.”
Russell Westbrook had 26 points even while making just 1 of 8 3-pointers. Eric Gordon, still booed on every touch in New Orleans, had his second consecutive strong game, making 4 of 7 3-pointers for 17 points.
“It’s been like that since I left here,” Gordon said.
“I’m only worried about what we’re doing in Houston. That’s winning. I’ve just been banged up a little bit the beginning of this year. I’m just trying to get back right, get in a rhythm.”
The Rockets needed that, especially with Danuel House Jr. going out with a bruised back that D’Antoni said could keep him out of Wednesday’s game against the Clippers.
Still, they wanted more. Concern, however, was replaced by a fourth-quarter run and a win.
“How many games is it?” Harden said. “Ten. Early. We’re really (angry) about losing those three games. That’s what we’re (angry) about. Our mindset is to continue to get better. The most important thing is winning and finding ways to get better.”