The Houston Rockets' process of putting their tough start to the season behind them was on full display Monday night, as they took down the top team in the Western Conference on their home floor. James Harden scored 32 points, lifting the Rockets to a 125-113 win over the first-place Denver Nuggets. Clint Capela added a career-high 31 points, while P.J. Tucker set a career-high with seven three-pointers, and a season-high of 21 points. The win for Houston is their 12th in the past 14 games, giving them 23 victories on the season, which now has them in sixth place in the conference standings. They are in a four-way tie with the San Antonio Spurs, Los Angeles Clippers, and Portland Trail Blazers.
Capela scored 19 of his points in the first half, as Houston extended their lead to as large as 17 on the night. They did this by getting contributions from all over the floor, including Gerald Green scoring 21 points on six made three-pointers. The Rockets as a team made 22 shots from beyond the arc, making it the sixth time this season that they have had at least 20 in a contest. They have already broken their own record for most three-pointers in the game this season, which is at 28.
The Nuggets saw their five-game winning streak come to an end, despite Nikola Jokic posting 24 points. At 26-12, they still hold a one-game lead on the Golden State Warriors for the top spot in the conference. Denver is still a legitimate threat down the stretch, they just ran in to the wrong team at the wrong time, as Houston, especially Harden, is playing on a whole different level from the rest of the league.
The bearded star finished with a double-double, including 14 assists, while making six three-pointers in the win. Monday marked the 13th straight game that he has scored at least 30 points, this coming one game and two days after seeing his 40-point streak snapped at three in a row by just two points. Nuggets head coach Michael Malone said about Harden after the game "he's probably the hardest guy in the NBA to guard." His team sure did struggle with that task at the Toyota Center, which sent them to a loss for the first time since December 26th.
The Nuggets will have a quick turnaround to bounce back, as they will visit the Miami Heat on Tuesday night. Meanwhile, the Rockets will host Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks on Wednesday night.
Capela scored 19 of his points in the first half, as Houston extended their lead to as large as 17 on the night. They did this by getting contributions from all over the floor, including Gerald Green scoring 21 points on six made three-pointers. The Rockets as a team made 22 shots from beyond the arc, making it the sixth time this season that they have had at least 20 in a contest. They have already broken their own record for most three-pointers in the game this season, which is at 28.
The Nuggets saw their five-game winning streak come to an end, despite Nikola Jokic posting 24 points. At 26-12, they still hold a one-game lead on the Golden State Warriors for the top spot in the conference. Denver is still a legitimate threat down the stretch, they just ran in to the wrong team at the wrong time, as Houston, especially Harden, is playing on a whole different level from the rest of the league.
The bearded star finished with a double-double, including 14 assists, while making six three-pointers in the win. Monday marked the 13th straight game that he has scored at least 30 points, this coming one game and two days after seeing his 40-point streak snapped at three in a row by just two points. Nuggets head coach Michael Malone said about Harden after the game "he's probably the hardest guy in the NBA to guard." His team sure did struggle with that task at the Toyota Center, which sent them to a loss for the first time since December 26th.
The Nuggets will have a quick turnaround to bounce back, as they will visit the Miami Heat on Tuesday night. Meanwhile, the Rockets will host Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks on Wednesday night.
