In the fourth quarter of his Houston homecoming, former Rockets star James Harden drilled one of his classic step-back 3-pointers while being fouled, leading to a 4-point play to bring Brooklyn within four points with more than seven minutes left. A minute later, Eric Gordon — the top scorer and most established veteran on the Rockets — was ejected.
It felt like a classic setup for the Rockets, who led by 17 heading to the fourth quarter at Toyota Center, to finally fall back to earth. It didn’t happen thanks to epic clutch showings by young players like Garrison Mathews (19 points) and rookie Josh Christopher (18 points, 4-of-4 on 3-pointers), helping the Rockets to somehow extend their historic winning streak to seven with Wednesday’s 114-104 win (box score) over Harden and the Nets, who own the Eastern Conference’s best record (17-8).
Harden led the Nets with 25 points, 11 rebounds, and 8 assists, but he shot just 4-of-16 from the field (25%) and committed 8 turnovers, thanks in large part to tough defense from players like Christopher, Mathews, Gordon, and Jae’Sean Tate. Brooklyn didn’t have the services of perennial All-Star Kevin Durant, who was out for rest on the second night of a back-to-back, but that did little to diminish the enthusiasm for the home team.
The Rockets (8-16) had six players in double figures, including Mathews, Christopher, Gordon (21 points, 8-of-12 shooting), Jae’Sean Tate (10 points, 5 assists), Christian Wood (12 points, 15 rebounds, 3 blocks), and Armoni Brooks (14 points, 4 assists, 3-of-8 on 3-pointers).
Here’s a look at highlights, noteworthy interviews, and reaction from social media during a feel-good victory at Toyota Center. The Rockets will look to keep this improbable run going when they host reigning NBA champion Milwaukee on Friday night at 7:00 p.m. Central.
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