THE HOUSTON ROCKETS put this week’s franchise-altering trade in the rear view mirror on Thursday night as they kicked off their post-James Harden era with a gutsy comeback win against the San Antonio Spurs.
Journeyman Christian Wood scored a team high 27 points and had 15 rebounds for the Rockets in a 109-105 win a day after Houston sent shockwaves through the NBA when they traded three-time league scoring champion Harden to the Brooklyn Nets as part of a mammoth multi-team deal.
Sterling Brown delivered 23 points and Jae’Sean Tate had 13 points and 10 assists for Houston, who were coming off back-to-back blowout losses at home to the Los Angeles Lakers.
Asked what the feeling was like in the Rockets’ dressing room one day after the blockbuster deal, Wood correlated it to the never give up mindset of the late Lakers superstar Kobe Bryant.
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“We have the Mamba mentality. That means everybody is thinking everybody has a lot to prove,” Wood said. ”We are all dogs out there.”
The blockbuster trade came less than 24 hours after the disgruntled Harden declared that the Rockets were “not even close, honestly” to the league’s top competition.
Thursday’s win was entertaining as the Rockets held on for the victory after being outscored 52-45 over the second and third quarters.
Spurs star DeMar DeRozan’s shot as the clock was winding down bounced twice on the rim before falling harmlessly away to seal the win for the Rockets.
In Portland, Domantas Sabonis had 23 points and 15 rebounds to lead the visiting Indiana Pacers to a 111-87 win over the Trail Blazers, who lost centre Jusuf Nurkic with a broken wrist.
Elsewhere, Chris Boucher matched his career best with 25 points and added 10 rebounds as the Toronto Raptors held off the Charlotte Hornets 111-108.
In Philadelphia, Shake Milton scored a season-high 31 points off the bench, Tobias Harris added 18 and the Philadelphia 76ers rolled over the depleted Miami Heat 125-108.
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No Harden, no problem as Wood bags 27 points to fuel Rockets win
THE HOUSTON ROCKETS put this week’s franchise-altering trade in the rear view mirror on Thursday night as they kicked off their post-James Harden era with a gutsy comeback win against the San Antonio Spurs.
Journeyman Christian Wood scored a team high 27 points and had 15 rebounds for the Rockets in a 109-105 win a day after Houston sent shockwaves through the NBA when they traded three-time league scoring champion Harden to the Brooklyn Nets as part of a mammoth multi-team deal.
Sterling Brown delivered 23 points and Jae’Sean Tate had 13 points and 10 assists for Houston, who were coming off back-to-back blowout losses at home to the Los Angeles Lakers.
Asked what the feeling was like in the Rockets’ dressing room one day after the blockbuster deal, Wood correlated it to the never give up mindset of the late Lakers superstar Kobe Bryant.
“We have the Mamba mentality. That means everybody is thinking everybody has a lot to prove,” Wood said. ”We are all dogs out there.”
The blockbuster trade came less than 24 hours after the disgruntled Harden declared that the Rockets were “not even close, honestly” to the league’s top competition.
Thursday’s win was entertaining as the Rockets held on for the victory after being outscored 52-45 over the second and third quarters.
Spurs star DeMar DeRozan’s shot as the clock was winding down bounced twice on the rim before falling harmlessly away to seal the win for the Rockets.
In Portland, Domantas Sabonis had 23 points and 15 rebounds to lead the visiting Indiana Pacers to a 111-87 win over the Trail Blazers, who lost centre Jusuf Nurkic with a broken wrist.
Elsewhere, Chris Boucher matched his career best with 25 points and added 10 rebounds as the Toronto Raptors held off the Charlotte Hornets 111-108.
In Philadelphia, Shake Milton scored a season-high 31 points off the bench, Tobias Harris added 18 and the Philadelphia 76ers rolled over the depleted Miami Heat 125-108.
© – AFP, 2021
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