The Fast Break: Harden throws a tantrum
At 8-5, the Rockets are off to a solid start, but if you've watched this team through their first 13 games, you know they leave much to be desired.
On Wednesday night in Dallas, the Rockets blew a 14-point fourth quarter lead in a heartbreaking loss to their division and state rival Mavericks, spoiling an excellent Dwight Howard performance (33 and 11) in the process.
The most nauseating part for Rockets fans, however, had to be how the game ended, and particularly how their franchise player acted. No, for once I'm not talking about Howard (though his decision to throw the ball at a heckling Mavs fan, which cost his team a point, was right up D-12's alley), but rather the embarrassing end of game display by James Harden.
Here's a GIF of how the game ended:
You see after Harden missed a potential game-tying three, instead of immediately getting back into a ready position while teammate Patrick Beverley recovered the ball, 'The Beard' decided instead to turn around, face the ref, and jump up and down like a spoiled child in protest for what he thought should have been a foul.
As you can also see, there is a point where Beverley could have found Harden open on the perimeter again if James had kept his focus on the basketball game which had yet to finish. Instead, Harden is late to get back in position after wasting his time with the ref, and Beverley loses the ball in a desperate attempt to heave up a Hail Mary.
Maybe it was a foul. Maybe Beverley wouldn't have even passed it back to Harden. Maybe Harden would have just missed again anyway. But the point is that he cheated his team out of a potential extra opportunity with his whining, and that's simply unacceptable from one of your star players.
If Howard had done something like this, fans and media members would have been shredding him for it since it fits the narrative. I'm going to guess you won't hear much about Harden's gaffe though today.
About last night...
Heat 120, Magic 92 - Arron Afflalo had 30 points on just 16 field goal attempts in the loss. Afflalo is now averaging 22.5 points per game on 49 percent shooting and 54 percent three-point shooting.
Raptors 108, 76ers 98 - And with that, the 5-7 Raptors take over sole possession of the Atlantic Division lead.
Bobcats 95, Nets 91 - Brooklyn falls to 3-8 and loses Deron Williams to a sprained ankle just two quarters into his return from a sprained ankle. Uh-oh.
Pacers 103, Knicks 96 - Carmelo Anthony added 18 rebounds to his 30 points, but in the end it was Paul George's clutch free throws that forced overtime and his 21 points in the fourth quarter/overtime that were the difference. George finished with 35 for the game.
Pelicans 105, Jazz 98 - Gordon Hayward was an abysmal 1-of-17 from the field. Anthony Davis, on the other hand...
Wow. Anthony Davis is first player since 2001 with back-to-back 8+ block games.
— Blake Murphy (@BlakeMurphyODC) November 21, 2013
Trail Blazers 91, Bucks 82 - Portland's eighth straight win takes them to 10-2 on the young season. I'll be talking Blazers with Ben Golliver on the 'Points In the Paint' podcast later today.
Clippers 102, Timberwolves 98 - Another 'Point God' achievement unlocked by Chris Paul, as he becomes the first player in NBA history to open a season with 12 straight games of at least 10 points and at least 10 assists.
Spurs 104, Celtics 93 - Hey, guess who's quietly gone about a 10-1 start?
Kings 113, Suns 106 - I know they were without Eric Bledsoe for both games, but perhaps a home-and-home sweep at the hands of Sacramento will get the tank rolling in Phoenix.
Mavericks 123, Rockets 120 - With their Wednesday night fourth quarter rally over the Rockets, the Mavs are now 6-0 at home and 8-4 overall.
Grizzlies 88, Warriors 81 (OT) - Don't look now, but the Grizzlies have won four straight (all on the road), and Zach Randolph has posted five straight double-doubles, including four straight 20-10 games.
Line of the night: Paul George - 35 Pts (12/26 FG, 2/7 3PT, 9/12 FT), 5 Reb, 5 Stl, 4 Ast, 2 Blk, 1 TO in 49 mins.
Play of the night:
Bonus highlight: Rick Carlisle goes all Gregg Popovich on us
On tap tonight: This week's TNT doubleheader features the Thunder hosting the Clippers followed by the Nuggets hosting the Bulls.
Mamba Watch: Mike D'Antoni is picking his words carefully, but it's beginning to sound like Kobe Bryant's return is just a few games, and possibly even just a few days, away.
Crybaby Dwight: I mentioned in my opening rant about James Harden's childish behavior that it was the type of thing we're used to from Dwight Howard, and wouldn't you know it, Vince Carter seems to agree, calling Howard the "biggest crybaby" he knows. Fans in Toronto would probably say it takes one to know one.
Curry set for quick return: If you were worried that Stephen Curry's concussion might keep him out of action for a while, don't be, as Mark Jackson said Curry will likely make the trip to L.A. for Friday night's game against the Lakers. For what it's worth, while they may have lost both games without Curry this season, the Warriors stayed competitive, losing to the Spurs and Grizzlies by a combined nine points.
Bye Bye, Brown: Kwame Brown's career lowlights now include being cut by the obviously tanking Sixers. I'd love to see the Knicks take a look at Brown at this point, just for the giggles over New York's desperate situation.