Tag: Russell Westbrookk

Westbrook, McLemore scorch Suns as Rockets win fourth of five

James Harden had an off shooting game, but Russell Westbrook and Ben McLemore made up for it with hot nights as the Rockets beat Phoenix.

Houston star James Harden had a relative off night Saturday versus Phoenix, but fellow guards Russell Westbrook and Ben McLemore more than made up for it with hot shooting as the host Rockets (15-7) defeated the Suns (10-12) to win for the fourth time in five games.

The four wins have come by an average margin of 18 points.

McLemore had a season-high 28 points and eight made three-pointers in Thursday’s statement win at Toronto, and he nearly matched it Saturday with 27 points on 10-of-15 shooting (66.7%). That total included five more threes as Houston pulled away late to win, 115-109 (box score).

Unlike in Toronto, McLemore came off the bench Saturday in Houston, now that usual small forward starter Danuel House Jr. is again healthy. But the change in role had no impact on his performance. The Rockets fell behind 20-9 in the opening minutes, but they regained the lead shortly after McLemore entered and led for nearly all of the final three quarters.

Meanwhile, Westbrook bounced back from a 7-of-27 shooting night (25.9%) against the Raptors to score 24 points on 10-of-18 shooting (55.6%) versus Phoenix. He also had a team-high 14 rebounds and 11 assists, representing his third consecutive triple-double.

Before the last three games, Westbrook hadn’t had a triple-double in any game for the Rockets since a Nov. 18 win over Portland.

Harden led the Rockets with 34 points, though he did so on an uncharacteristically cold 8-of-27 night (29.6%) from the field.

The NBA’s leading scorer made them count, though, as Harden scored 17 consecutive points for the Rockets in the fourth quarter after Phoenix had briefly tied the game at 85 with 9:02 left. That allowed Houston to break the game open and coast to the team’s fourth win in five games.

Clint Capela had 12 points and 10 rebounds for the Rockets in 27 minutes, and no one else was in double figures. Backup center Tyson Chandler missed the game due to illness.

The Suns were led by 35 points from guard Devin Booker, who made 11 of his 19 shots in Saturday’s game at Toyota Center.

The Rockets have an off day Sunday before finishing up this two-game homestand Monday against the Sacramento Kings (8-13).

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