Despite being without one of their marquee stars, the Houston Rockets still found a way to win and make history against the New Orleans Pelicans on Saturday night.
In an outing where the Houston Rockets were without the services of Luc Mbah a Moute and Chris Paul for the second straight contest, James Harden made sure that his team would not let its foot off the gas.
Putting together yet another impressive performance, Harden helped Clutch City extend its lead over the Golden State Warriors in the Western Conference.
The MVP frontrunner and league’s leading scorer scored a game-high 27 points in three quarters, to go alongside of eight assists, leading the Rockets past the New Orleans Pelicans at home for their eighth straight victory on Saturday night.
They made history in the process, as the team with the best record in basketball earned its 59th win on the 2017-18 regular season, officially surpassing the 1993-94 Rockets championship squad atop of the franchise record books for most wins in a single season.
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Shortly after the game, Houston head coach Mike D’Antoni met with the media to share his personal thoughts on what the Rockets’ latest win meant to him and his team:
"“I just told them. They didn’t care,” D’Antoni said. “I’m kind of happy. I thought it was nice. They absolutely did not care.”“They’ll care ten years from now…for teams to win 59 to 60 [games], anything like that is not easy, and these guys have done it. And they have done it all year consistently…It’s a good milestone.”"
Although clinching the top spot in the playoffs and winning a championship would mean more to the Rockets than anything else, fans in Houston and beyond should seek to celebrate their most recent historical feat.
A franchise that came into the regular season with questions about how their star-studded backcourt and new pieces would fit beside one another has managed to launch itself back into national prominence with the help of Harden, Paul and Clint Capela under D’Antoni.
They’ve helped the Rockets not only win games in dominating fashion, but prove why general manager Daryl Morey considered this year’s cast of talent to be his greatest team yet.
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Since Jan. 26, the Rockets have posted an astounding 25-2 record, and averaged over 110 points per game. While also boasting the league’s third-highest offensive and defensive rating during that time span, Houston has managed to beat opposing teams by an average of 11.2 points per game over the course of its current eight-game winning streak.
They’re using their talent on both ends of the floor to get the job done night after night, in the effort of getting one step closer toward capturing the Larry O’Brien Trophy — the same prize that the former face of the franchise, Hakeem Olajuwon, helped Houston seize the last time the Rockets set a new record for wins in the regular season.
It’s a goal that the man known as The Beard appears to have his eyes heavily set upon, as the Rockets — who never trailed throughout the entire course of their most recent exhibition — plan to show no signs of letting up any time soon.
"“It’s a good team accomplishment during the regular season,” Harden said to reporters in front of his locker immediately after win No. 59. “But we got bigger goals than that. So, it’s just a step towards where we want to go.”"
Next: 2017-18 Week 23 NBA Power Rankings
Houston will now try to become the first team in the NBA to reach 60 wins this season, as they face off against the Atlanta Hawks in the second game of a back-to-back home set on Sunday.