Houston Rockets Show Dominance Yet Again in Victory over Minnesota Timberwolves
By Dan Schultz
@DSchultz89
Getty Images
After a controversial offseason where many thought they may have downgraded in talent, the Houston Rockets have gotten off to a phenomenal start, as they racked up another win over the Minnesota Timberwolves to roll to a 7-1 record.
During the summer, the Rockets let Chandler Parsons go to their rivals the Dallas Mavericks, and traded both Jeremy Lin and Omer Asik away in salary dump moves. At the time, many considered their signing of Trevor Ariza to be a respectable replacement for Parsons, but no one expected the Rockets to improve this much defensively thanks mainly to the addition of Ariza.
With the game taking place in front of a passionate Mexico City crowd, the star duo of Dwight Howard and James Harden did not disappoint. They led the way as usual for the team as they combined for 45 points, with Ariza chipping in with 19 of his own and three threes to boot. Meanwhile, the Timberwolves failed to have anyone score at least 20 points, the closest being Corey Brewer who went a perfect seven for seven from the field for 18 points. The Rockets defense held the Timberwolves to 44 percent shooting from the field, and they did an excellent job chasing them off the three-point line and allowing them to attempt only twelve three pointers during the game.
The Rockets are clearly using their crushing first-round loss to the Portland Trail Blazers last season as motivation coming into this year. They do not want to be viewed as a “middle of the pack” seed whose ceiling is a second round exit. Ariza has added another defensive dimension to their team, and as long as Harden and Howard continue to play at this level, make no mistake about it, these Rockets are for real this year.
Dan Schultz is an NBA sports writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on twitter @dschultz89. “Like” him on Facebook and add him on Google.
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