Silas confident in Harden
Rockets coach Stephen Silas said Monday that star guard James Harden is “just kind of figuring things out right now” relative to Silas’s offensive approach, one reason why Harden is barely in the top 10 in scoring in the NBA (No. 10 at 26 points per game as of Monday) early in Silas’s tenure.
“He’s really just a smart basketball player,” said Silas, praising Harden’s passing ability, among other attributes. “I’m trusting that he’s just figuring it out.”
Harden scored 20 points in the Rockets’ home loss to the Lakers on Sunday night, and in the previous two games scored 15 points each. He opened the Silas era with 44 points in the Rockets’ 128-126 overtime loss at Portland on Dec. 26, but has scored at least 33 only twice since — with his three highest outputs in the first three games.
Harden has won the last three NBA scoring titles, last year averaging 34.3 points per game under then- coach Mike D’Antoni. Silas said he expects Harden’s productivity to increase as the season presses on.
Gordon worried about the defense
Rockets guard Eric Gordon isn’t as concerned about the Rockets’ offense overall as getting the team’s defense on track. The Rockets are 19th out of 30 NBA teams in defensive efficiency.
“I don’t expect us to have a great night on offense every night, but that’s why you have to be better defensively,” Gordon said. “And I guarantee you that will at least give you a better chance to be in a better rhythm on the offensive end. … We have to play for one another a little bit better, (and) our defensive spirit definitely needs to be better.”
Double technical no issue for Silas
Rockets forward DeMarcus Cousins and the Lakers’ Markieff Morris received double technical fouls late in the first quarter Sunday, and Cousins was ejected early in the second quarter following a swipe at the ball that wound up hitting LeBron James on the head.
Cousins received a flagrant foul and was thrown out of the game. On the initial encounter involving Cousins, Morris charged into Rockets rookie Jae’Sean Tate and drew a flagrant foul. Morris and Cousins then had a brief shoving match, and Morris was ejected. Rockets coach Stephen Silas had no issue with Cousins’ aggressiveness toward Morris following Morris’ slam into Tate.
“I was proud of him for sticking up for his teammate,” Silas said Monday.
Tucker enjoys playing same foe
Rockets guard P. J. Tucker appreciates the occasional consecutive games against an opponent during the COVID-19 pandemic to help limit travel — it’s similar to playing a playoff series, only in the regular season.
“I like being able to come right back and play the same team again,” Tucker said. “You learn from (a loss), especially early in the season. You get to see how different (an opponent) is. You get that second chance, try to make adjustments and then see how we fare.”
Tucker, who prides himself on his defense, was especially disgusted with the Lakers outscoring the Rockets 32-7 on the fast break on Sunday.
“The biggest thing is getting back in transition,” he said. “We’ve got to get back … they’re leaking out, and that will be a focus. If we can slow down on the turnovers (21 on Sunday) and get back on defense, we’ll be right back in the game.
“We brought the game back to a manageable place (in the second half ) a couple of times.”
The Rockets closed the gap to 11 points late in the third quarter but never truly threatened the Lakers’ comfortable lead.