A quick and digestible look at the most top-of-mind Rockets news of the past few days.
Sports Illustrated. The Fundamentals: Rockets, Raptors making do without their injured stars.
“…The pace of the season is so uncompromising that the best teams are often the ones that have the ability to endure it. Two of the league’s better teams are in the process of navigating that crucible. One is Houston, which has won five of seven games since superstar center Dwight Howard was sidelined with a strained right knee. That record – with wins over the Grizzlies and Mavericks, in particular – is impressive. Even more so is the way it was achieved. During Howard’s two-week absence, only four teams have held opponents to fewer points per possession than the Rockets, according to NBA.com. This is something of a miracle given the absences of both Howard and irksome point guard Patrick Beverley (who has missed five consecutive games with a strained left hamstring) against a challenging schedule that included four of the NBA’s top 11 in offensive efficiency.”
The Dream Shake. Houston Rockets: The Walking…Injured?
“Another day in December goes by and another eighteen Houston Rockets end up on the injury report. Okay, that’s an exaggeration. You have to be frustrated as a fan: the team is only a half game behind the red hot Memphis Grizzlies for the division lead, and have to watch as the Thunder have gone from having nine guys on the injury report to being completely healthy. Now the Rockets on the eve of their biggest game of the early season, which should have been a rematch/revenge game against the Golden State Warriors is now a, Don’t-Lose-By-30 Game.”
Grantland. The Triangle.
“1. Donatas Motiejunas, Trickster
James Harden is a legit MVP candidate, but don’t sleep on Motiejunas, shooting 50 percent and holding the fort at both big-man positions for the red-hot Rockets as Dwight Howard and Terrence Jones nurse injuries. Motiejunas has shot 28-of-47 (60 percent) on post-ups, per Synergy, and he’s straight clowning guys with a tricky array of pump fakes, up-and-unders, and hooks he can unleash with either hand.”
YouTube. James Harden: The Hardest Defender.
A ten-minute video of defensive highlights accumulated since his high school days – sike, only from the ’14-15 season so far. Daryl Morey tweeted this out as well.
