Houston Rockets 96, Atlanta Hawks 104: Close, but no cigar

Tuesday night in Atlanta, the Houston Rockets were missing suspended James Harden and injured Dwight Howard, on the road, against the best team in the Eastern Conference.  They didn’t win, but if Daryl Morey has taught me anything, it’s that this isn’t always a results-based program.

Although not through the NBA’s typical scheduling process, this was as much of a “schedule loss” as the Rockets will face all season.  And yet, Kevin McHale had Morey’s motley crew kicking and clawing (and for a long stretch, beating) the East-leading Hawks.  But when things slowed down in the fourth, and the Rockets couldn’t get out on the break, Atlanta choked-out Houston’s wily offense and put the game away.

The Rockets missed Harden, definitely, but it’s not like they were punchless.   Houston led by 9 at the end of the first, 14 at halftime and 9 again going into the third quarter, mainly thanks to some wizard interior passing and a throwback Jason Terry performance.  Terrence Jones (18 pts, 8 rebs, 2 ast, 3 blk) was an absolute menace in the paint, causing Hawks great and color commentator Dominique Wilkins to gush over him multiple times down the court.  Terry (21 pts on 8-13 shooting, 4-8 from 3) carried the Rockets through the middle of the game, scoring 20 of his 21 points in the second and third quarters.  But while JET and TJ were definitely the stars of the game for the Rockets, they combined for a +/- of minus-25 for the game.

It was interesting listening to Nique digest this game as it went along.  He loved Jones, but could’t decide what to think about Donatas Motiejunas.  He kept mentioning that D-Mo shooting the three was what the Hawks wanted, even as he went 3-6 from deep.   Motiejunas also looked like a force in the middle for stretches, and a huge liability at others.  He had several beautiful post moves, and along with Houston’s other big men, made multiple pinpoint passes for scores.  But there were also times when D-Mo couldn’t stop letting his man score, especially Al Horford.  And once again, Motiejunas missed several bunnies around the rim, continuing what’s become a troubling trend.

Josh Smith, back in Atlanta, was in typical hot-and-cold form (14 pts, 7 rebs, 3 ast, 2 blk in only 24 mins).  At one point he got a fortunate bounce off the rim to sink a three-pointer, forcing Atlanta to call timeout.  As he jogged back to the Rockets’ bench,  Smith held a finger to his mouth, beckoning Hawks fans in attendance to quiet down.  Shortly after, Smith hit another three in transition, again inviting the crowd to have a seat.  But from that point on Smith seemed like he was pressing, turning the ball over on multiple possessions, fouling unnecessarily, and missing 3 of 4 shot attempts in the fourth.

Jeff Teague finished with what had to be the quietest 25 points of the season, with a very James Harden-esque shooting performance (7-12 FG, 9-11 FT).  Dennis Schoeder added 16 pts, 4 rebs and 8 ast off the bench, while Paul Milsap and Horford combined for 34 points and 22 rebounds.  The Hawks missed seemingly every momentum-swinging, run-capping shot they took until the fourth quarter, when they dropped 32 on Houston.

If you ever wondered how the Rockets would look without Harden’s one-0n-one skills, last night was your answer.  There were times when the offense was electric.  Fast breaks, swing passes – the ball bouncing around like hot potato – usually ending with an easy lay-in.  And there were times when it was chaotic, sometimes aimless and oftentimes reckless.

Harden’s steady left hand at the helm would have probably gotten the W, but it was kinda nice to see what the rest of the Rockets could do when left to there own devices.  The Rockets’ B-squad stood toe-to-toe in the center of the ring with one hand tied behind their back, and took every punch the Beast from the East had, losing a close decision.  We got to see what the rest of the Rockets were made of, and Harden got a good night’s rest heading into a tough matchup with the Memphis Grizzlies Wednesday night. Things could be worse for Houston.