Some gain comes with pain
Anderson takes Cousins’ shots; Harden collects 17 assists
With DeMarcus Cousins in full “Boogie” mode — angry, determined, dominant — Rockets forward Ryan Anderson was willing to throw himself between Cousins and his team’s lead.
He would take an elbow to the face. He would get back up as Cousins’ head banged into his lip. He would limp off with a sprained right ankle, having lost his balance on one final Cousins charge, landing on Cousins’ foot and putting his availability to play Sunday against the Oklahoma City Thunder in jeopardy.
But to get a win, Anderson had decided Cousins and the New Orleans Pelicans would have to go through him.
More remarkable, perhaps, is after James Harden on Friday com-
pleted his latest masterpiece, lifting the Rockets past the Pelicans 117-107 to give the Rockets the 50th win of their 50th anniversary season, Anderson decided the win was worth the battle and even the damage done.
“This is the second time in about a week my lip has been split open,” Anderson said. “I got elbowed in the face. It’s good. I want to be physical. With DeMarcus, he’s such an elite player, but when he gets frustrated that’s when he’s at his worst. It’s part of the game plan to get DeMarcus frustrated. The moment he realized that, he’ll be that much better a player.
“You want to get into him. You want to make him frustrated, so that’s what I tried to do tonight. And if takes a few hits to the face, then that’s what it takes.”
It took a good deal more than that, even after the Rockets got over their sloppy return to the floor when they had 16 first-half turnovers but just three in the second half.
Harden kept the game tight in the first half, drove the Rockets in the second half and closed out the win in the final minutes.
In a performance befitting the 50th win of the season, Harden had 38 points with 17 assists, matching the career high he set on opening night.
Career assists high
The Rockets had 77 points off Harden’s scoring or assists. With his recent run, they average 57.5 points per game off his scoring or assists, moving him on pace to the NBA record of 56.8 Nate Archibald has held since 1972-73.
His streak of four consecutive games with at least 30 points and 10 assists (his third such streak of the season) is the longest in the NBA since Michael Jordan did it in five consecutive games in the 1988-89 season. A game before meeting Russell Westbrook and the Thunder, it inspired him to say he has made his case as MVP.
“I think so, but I try not to think about it too much,” said Harden, who has averaged 39.5 points, 9.5 rebounds, 12.3 assists and 2.5 steals in the past four games. “I just try to do my job at a high level and win games. That’s all I can do.”
He had to do plenty to pull out the win, with the play that would not be in his statistics crucial. After a Cousins drive pulled the Pelicans within two with 1:45 left, Harden drew a three-shot foul for the third time in the game, earning a five-point lead.
When Cousins made his move on Anderson, Harden came over to double team, forcing Cousins to lose the ball out of bounds. Fifteen seconds later, Harden drained his fifth 3-pointer for a safe eight-point lead with 69 seconds left.
By then, Anderson was done for the night. With his ankle quickly and badly swollen, Anderson was uncertain if he would be back Sunday. The Rockets were as displeased with the plays prior to Anderson’s last, even after they were reviewed but deemed common, rather than flagrant, fouls.
Tough day at the office
“He should probably use something other than his face to catch his elbows,” coach Mike D’Antoni said. “He might want to rethink that one, but yeah, he battled. That’s what we’re going to have to deal with in the playoffs. We’re going to have to battle. It’s not always going to be pretty.”
But Anderson had no complaints.
“He’s one of the most talented guys in the NBA,” Anderson said. “You just want to get physical with him, be as aggressive as you can. He doesn’t like it. It’s part of the game. It makes it fun, especially when you get a win.”