Playoffs, not Warriors, the big test
With the NBA regular season down to its final 15 days, Rockets coach Mike D’Antoni said he does not need the tests to come this week, with two games against the Warriors, to know how the Rockets stack up. At this point, he said, his team will be measured by how it responds in the postseason.
“We’ve beaten them. And we’ve blown games against people,” D’Antoni said. “Our defense has got to be better. Then, we’ll see in the playoffs. We’ll see how cold-blooded we are. It’ll come down to making good, smart basketball plays at the right time with a lot of pressure.
“If we do that, we’re as good as anybody, there’s no doubt about it. I don’t think we fear anybody. We respect a lot of people, but we’re a good team.”
Rather than a test, the Rockets said the lateseason meetings with the Warriors bring excitement.
“I feel like it’s another regular-season game, but they’ve been to the Finals back-to-back years,” forward Trevor Ariza said. “Any time you’re playing against a team like that, you always want to play your best. You’re always up and ready for those type of games. In the regular season, some games are more fun to play than others. (Sunday), we had a real fun game as well. If we can bring that same energy and intensity to this game, I like our chances to win.”
Harden adds honor to résumé
Rockets guard James Harden was named the Western Conference Player of the Week for the fourth time this season and the 13th time in his career, breaking Hakeem Olajuwon’s franchise record.
Harden averaged 33 points, 13.3 assists, 6.3 rebounds and two steals, but the Rockets were as impressed with the way he ran their offense Sunday, scoring just 22 points but helping to key the team’s best shooting game since the 1994-95 season.
“I think that’s his strength,” coach Mike D’Antoni said. “His strength is he reads the game. If we need 40 from him, because (opponents) do a lot of switching, he gets 40. If they’re not doing a lot of switching, he can make the hockey pass — which he doesn’t get a lot of credit for — he’ll do that.
“He’ll do whatever it takes to make our offense really good. He does what needs to be done. He’s one of the best I’ve ever seen.”
Harden is averaging 29.4 points, 11.3 assists and eight rebounds, all career highs. He is on pace to be the top scorer among assists leaders since Nate Archibald in the 1972-73 season.
Harden is scoring or assisting on 56.9 points per game, 0.1 more than Archibald’s NBA record set that season.
Dekker to see increased work
The injury to Ryan Anderson moved Eric Gordon into the starting lineup, with Trevor Ariza shifting to power forward, but it also will increase the workload for backup Sam Dekker. Dekker had not been playing in the second half of five of the previous six games, but he played 24 minutes against the Thunder on Sunday, scoring eight points with five rebounds.
“As a competitor, I’m going to try to take full advantage of that,” Dekker said. “I hate that Ryan went down with an injury. You never like to see that happen, especially (to) one of our best players. But the guys have faith in me. I feel like I’ve proven over the course of the year that when needed I can step in and play 25 minutes and give us what I need to give us.”
Dekker also provided one of the highlights of the night with a spin move to a fast-break layup through an Enes Kanter foul, but he said he did not consider the play special.
“When I came over the bench, the guys were like, ‘That’s a really cool move,’ ” Dekker said. “I didn’t realize at the time. That stuff is easier for me than working on standstill jump shots. That’s stuff I’ve done forever. That’s just a natural reaction.”