Big move up NBA Power Rankings in Week 4 for Houston Rockets
By Phil Watson
Last week: Won at New Orleans 122-116, beat Clippers 102-93, beat Indiana 111-102, won at Minnesota 125-105
This week: Monday vs. Portland, Wednesday at Denver, Friday at Clippers, Sunday vs. Dallas
James Harden last season posted the highest scoring average in more than 30 years. Through 13 games this season, he’s leaving even that number in the dust.
The Houston Rockets scoring savant is averaging 39.5 points per game, a pace that would be (a) the third-highest in NBA history and (b) the highest by any player not named “Wilt Chamberlain.” Chamberlain twice topped the 40-points-per-game threshold.
Last week, Harden was a special kind of ridiculous, averaging 44.8 points in 40.5 minutes per game, while also putting up 6.8 assists, 5.8 rebounds and 2.3 steals a game. He shot 45.8 percent overall on 29.5 attempts a night and was 24-for-60 (40 percent) from 3-point range (yes, that’s 15 bombs lobbed per game. His last three games have seen 47, 44 and 49 points. Woof.
Even with their injuries, the Rockets have won seven in a row. Ben McLemore, the former lottery pick, is averaging 16.3 points, 4.0 rebounds and 1.0 steals in 30.8 minutes per game over his last three games — all starts. McLemore has averaged double figures once in his previous six seasons, putting up 12.1 points per game for the Kings in 2014-15.
Last week: Lost at Boston 116-106, lost at New York 106-103, beat Toronto 110-102
This week: Monday vs. San Antonio, Wednesday vs. Golden State, Friday vs. Cleveland, Sunday at Houston
There is good news for the Dallas Mavericks, even after a 1-2 week: There is little to no chance the Mavs will have to face the New York Knicks in the playoffs. The Knicks — who have three wins on the season — finished a season sweep of Dallas with their win on Thursday.
The Mavericks did salvage something of the week by winning in their return from a three-game road swing, taking down the defending champion Raptors. This week, Dallas has what even two seasons ago would have been a daunting stretch of San Antonio, Golden State and Cleveland. Times, they do change — that group is a combined 11-27 this season.
Luka Doncic continued to put up numbers last week, even as he hit a bit of a shooting skid. He averaged 31.0 points, 10.3 rebounds, 9.0 assists and 1.7 steals in 35.0 minutes per game, while shooting 44.8 percent overall and going just 8-for-27 (25.9 percent) from deep.
Doncic had a triple-double in the loss at New York, his fifth of the season, with 33 points, 11 dimes and 10 boards. He turned the trick in both games against the Knicks … in a losing effort each time.