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By: Kevin Kim
A quick and digestible look at the most top-of-mind Rockets news of the past few days.
NBA.com. James Harden named Player of the Week.
Houston Rockets guard James Harden was named today by the NBA as Western Conference Player of the Week for games played Monday, Dec. 8 through Sunday, Dec. 14. It marks the first time this season he has won the award, but the sixth such honor of his career (Player of the Week for weeks ending: 11/4/12, 1/6/13, 3/24/13, 3/2/14 and 3/9/14). With six Player of the Week Honors, Harden ties Yao Ming for the third most of such honors in franchise history (Olajuwon, 12 and McGrady 7).
ESPN.com. Dwight Howard has double-double in return as Rockets down Nuggets.
HOUSTON -- Dwight Howard isn't quite where he wants to be. He was still good enough to lead the Houston Rockets to a win in his return from injury. Howard had 26 points and 13 rebounds, James Harden had a triple-double, and the Rockets overcame an early deficit for a 108-96 victory over the Denver Nuggets on Saturday night.
Houston Chronicle. Five things we learned in the Rockets' 108-96 win over the Nuggets on Saturday.
It was not supposed to be this way. Dwight Howard was supposed to need some time to take off rust. The Rockets were expected to need time to work him back in. He didn’t. And they didn’t. Players that miss just three games talk about the difficulty coming back. There is an old line that the only way to prepare to play NBA basketball is to play NBA basketball. Howard, however, started well and then got better on Saturday. He said that he worked to make sure his conditioning was sufficient, but no one thought that some on-court drills and running would do it. Instead, he easily went beyond the four- and five-minute stints Rockets coach Kevin McHale had planned.
ESPN.com. Power Rankings: Week 7.
3. The Rockets just went 8-3 while Dwight Howard (knee) was out, riding James Harden and reveling in the development of Donatas Motiejunas, then watched Dwight rumble for 26 points and 13 boards in his return to a group that managed to stay in the top two in defensive efficiency without him. Impressive.
NBA.com. Power Rankings: Week 7, Change could be in the air as trade season arrives.
3. Houston (18-5)
Pace: 97.3 (8), OffRtg: 101.9 (20), DefRtg: 96.7 (2), NetRtg: +5.3 (8)
Dwight Howard (26 points, 13 rebounds and three blocks) looked sharp in his return on Saturday. The Rockets are now 10-1 with him in the lineup,Trevor Ariza has shot much better with Howard on the floor, and Houston has outscored its opponents by 20.3 points per 100 possessions in 286 minutes with Howard and James Harden on the floor together.
