Daily NBA Fix: The Houston Rockets Respond After Firing Kevin McHale
By Ben Gibson
Within 24 hours of firing their former head coach, Kevin McHale, the Houston Rockets were looking at the possibility of falling to 4-8 and dealing with a heavy dose of the fallout of showing their coach the door.
The questions of whether the coach or the players were the problem would have dominated the narrative around them.
But the entire organization can thank Corey Brewer for knocking down a 3-pointer in the final seconds of regulation.
The Rockets went on to defeat the Portland Trail Blazers as James Harden took over in overtime. Harden finished the game with 45 points, 11 assists, eight rebounds and five steals.
One win doesn’t mean that anything is fixed in Houston, but they’ll at least avoid dealing with the fallout for now. It is yet to be seen if Ty Lawson and James Harden can co-exist, and it may be too early in the season to tell. Harden’s early season slump didn’t help the situation in Houston but even once he started to look like the MVP runner-up again, the wins weren’t coming.
Houston will ultimately be judged by whether they can set things straight now. The firing came early in the season for McHale, but it makes sense as the Rockets season will be judged harshly if they have another early playoff exit. They know the stakes, the question is now whether they respond.
DeRozan Dunks over the Stifle Tower
DeMar DeRozan saw just enough room to break to the basket and wasn’t going to let anything stop him, including Rudy Gobert. However the Utah Jazz went on to win 93-89, allowing Gobert have a laugh at his own expense.
https://twitter.com/rudygobert27/status/667223491964350465
PG, Pacers Take It to the 76ers
The Indiana Pacers had no trouble with the Philadelphia 76ers on Wednesday night despite point guards George Hill and Rodney Stuckey being unavailable. Indiana won 112-85 thanks to another dominating performance by Paul George.
Paul George extended his 25-plus points streak to eight games with 34 points as well eight rebounds, five assists and four steals. If he keeps this up then we might have to start calling him the next best player in the Eastern Conference besides LeBron James.
Fournier Buries Shot, Timberwolves
Evan Fournier gave the young and improving Orlando Magic a 104-101 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Tayshaun Prince gave Fournier plenty of room and the Frenchman made the most of it as he calmly hit the game-winning shot.
Westbrook Scored 40+Points For Second Game in a Row
Russell Westbrook is doing his best to make up for Kevin Durant‘s absence with 43 points, nine rebounds, eight assists, a steal, and a block int the Oklahoma City Thunder’s 110-103 win over the hapless New Orleans Pelicans.