The Houston Rockets have been on a roll since they turned into the Pocket Rockets. They are now winners of six straight and 10 of their last 12 contests after squeezing past the similarly surging Boston Celtics with a 111-110 thriller on Saturday.
Russell Westbrook led the charge with a monster 41 points on an efficient 16-of-27 clip from the field. He also added eight rebounds, five assists, and three steals. After the win, Westbrook admitted that he feels like he is trending in the positive direction:
“Right now, I think I’m moving in the right direction,” said Westbrook, via Tim MacMahon of ESPN. “I’ve just got to stay locked in with what I’m doing, with my craft and what I’ve been doing since I’ve been in the league.”
Harden, who became the focus of Boston’s defense, is noticing how confident his partner-in-crime has been over these last couple of months:
“He’s been doing it,” said Harden. “He’s more confident than he’s been, so he’s able to go out there and make plays for himself and us. This is his first year as a Rocket, so it was going to take some time. But he’s finally there.”
The Beard struggled mightily from the field, going just 7-of-24 en route to 21 points on the evening.
Westbrook carried most of the load as he continues on his massive two-month stretch. Since the calendar flipped to 2020, the 2016-17 MVP is averaging 32.9 points, 7.8 rebounds, and 7.3 assists while shooting an extremely efficient 53.3 percent from the field.
The secret to Westbrook’s newfound success with Houston is the fact that he has cut down on the 3-pointers and is making it a point to drive to the basket as often as possible. Likewise, the Rockets going all in on small ball and surrounding Westbrook with a bunch of shooters has opened up the floor for the high-flying 31-year-old to do his thing.
So far, the Pocket Rockets experiment is proving to be a success. Will this actually work in the playoffs?
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