As Rockets superstar James Harden saw it, there was a simple explanation for Houston’s 113-100 loss (box score) to the rival Dallas Mavericks on Monday night at Toyota Center. “We played hard, we just didn’t make any shots,” Harden said postgame.
It’s hard to argue. Harden did post a solid line of 21 points and 10 assists, but he shot just 5-of-17 (29.4%) from the field, and his plus/minus figure of -24 in 38 minutes was worst on the team. By comparison, the Rockets were +11 in the nine-plus minutes that Harden did not play.
Meanwhile, backcourt mate John Wall shot just 4-of-10 from the field (40%), with 14 points in 33 minutes. Big man Christian Wood did lead Houston with 23 points on 8-of-15 shooting (53.3%), but he was pulled midway through the fourth quarter after struggling on defense. He also missed all five of his 3-point attempts, and the Rockets (2-3) shot just 11-of-40 (27.5%) as a team from behind the 3-point arc on Monday night.
Meanwhile, the Mavericks (3-4) finally got hot after a sluggish start on offense to the 2020-21 season. Reserve guard Tim Hardaway Jr. entered shooting 32.7% on 3-pointers, but he scored 30 points and made an astounding 8-of-10 (80.0%) from long range in Houston. Meanwhile, expected MVP candidate Luka Doncic scored a game-high 33 points (with three 3-pointers) after entering Monday averaging 24.4 points per game on just 16.1% shooting from behind the arc.
https://embed.sendtonews.com/oembed/?SC=xhCAv1OUMy-1095781-7498&format=json&offsetx=0&offsety=0&floatwidth=400&floatposition=bottom-right&float=on
The Rockets weren’t thrilled with their defensive performance, but the postgame reaction was much more about the shots they didn’t make on offense than the shots they allowed on defense.
“We reverted back to isolation basketball,” said head coach Stephen Silas. “We were way too stagnant. Didn’t move the ball enough to put pressure on [the Dallas defense]. The amount of our five-out possessions were minimal, and it’s got to be fixed.”
“We didn’t get the shots we wanted,” concluded Harden.
Monday’s loss snapped a two-game winning streak by the Rockets, who will resume play on Wednesday night in Indiana.
[lawrence-related id=42924,42907]
[listicle id=42933]
https://embed.sendtonews.com/oembed/?SC=dtKEDImV3A-1095821-7498&format=json&offsetx=0&offsety=0&floatwidth=400&floatposition=bottom-right&float=on
https://embed.sendtonews.com/oembed/?SC=nHOewkWdga-1095784-7498&format=json&offsetx=0&offsety=0&floatwidth=400&floatposition=bottom-right&float=on