NBA scores 2015: Rockets refuse to go down in OT win over Blazers, plus 3 things we learned

The Rockets rally for a big win in their first game after a coaching change, Orlando survives in a battle of young guns and everything else from the NBA on Wednesday night.

by Satchel Price

Nov 19, 2015, 2:00 PM UTC

Thomas B. Shea-USA TODAY Sports

The Houston Rockets won't solve their issues overnight but still got a much-needed victory Wednesday in their first game after firing head coach Kevin McHale. James Harden scored 45 points and Corey Brewer hit a big game-tying three late in the fourth quarter as the Rockets rallied for a 108-103 overtime victory over the Portland Trail Blazers.

Houston fired McHale on Wednesday just months after the team reached the Western Conference Finals. The team opened this season with a 4-7 record despite championship aspirations and didn’t seem to be responding to the head coach. A lack of effort, especially on the defensive end, was all too common a sight for the Rockets over the past few weeks.

The team opted not to wait any longer before shaking things up by installing Bernie Bickerstaff as the interim head coach. Houston's talent remains impressive with Harden, Dwight Howard, Ty Lawson and others, so management is hoping that an altered direction will help get to the team closer to reaching its potential. McHale had been the coach in Houston since 2011.

The Rockets didn’t seem to be responding to the coaching change over the first three quarters Wednesday. The team trailed, 76-61, and looked to be on its way to a fourth straight loss. Then Harden started to do Harden things and Houston gave us a little glimpse of the team that had so many thinking NBA Finals before the season. A 38-23 fourth quarter by the Rockets forced OT.

Harden and Brewer were simply amazing over those 12 minutes. The duo combined for 28 of the team's 38 points in the fourth quarter comeback. Other than those two, Trevor Ariza (16 points) was the only other Rocket on the team to score in double figures for the game.

Getting things to overtime took a bit of last-minute magic, too. After trading free throws in the final seconds of regulation, the Rockets quickly took the ball in-bounds and pushed it up the court needing a three-pointer to tie. Harden found Brewer with an impressive cross-court pass and the forward drilled a miraculous shot off one leg to save the night:

The big performance from Harden, which also included 11 assists and five steals, puts him in some rare territory. Latrell Sprewell is the only other player in NBA history to record 45-plus points, 10-plus assists and five-plus steals in a single contest, accomplishing the feat as a member of the Golden State Warriors in 1997.

The Trail Blazers were led by Damian Lillard, who scored 23 points on 6-of-19 shooting, and Al Farouq-Aminu, who recorded a double-double with 16 points and 15 rebounds. C.J. McCollum added 19 points in the loss, which drops Portland to 4-9.

Even with the late surge, Houston still shot just 35 percent from the field and 32 percent from three, so the team still hasn’t really solved its issues offensively. Dwight Howard had another quiet offensive game, too. The All-Star center had just 12 points on 4-of-9 shooting over the past two contests. Grabbing 19 boards and blocking three shots was good for Howard, but the Rockets are at their best when he’s contributing on both ends of the floor.

So the first game of the post-McHale era had both positives and negatives for the Rockets. The team showed some life in the fourth quarter and that’s encouraging. One of the things that had been especially worrisome about the team’s start was just how lifeless it looked at times. So, seeing the team come out in the fourth quarter and rally like that after getting behind was good. The downside is that the team struggled enough through three quarters to trail by 15 points and that leaves a lot questioned to be answered.

3 things we learned

The Timberwolves aren't the only up-and-coming young team. Minnesota deservedly gets a lot of hype right now but the Magic showed they're another team worthy of attention in a 104-101 overtime win Wednesday night. Evan Fournier hit the game-winning three with just seconds left to complete a 26-point effort and improve Orlando's record to 6-6 on the season. The French wing is averaging over 20 points per game with efficient shooting percentages. The Magic might not be contenders but they've finally taken the leap into the playoff mix this season with a talented group of young players. Much of that improvement has come on the defensive end, where head coach Scott Skiles is known to make his impact.

Year	Defensive rating	Net rating
2012-13	106.7 (25th)	-7.8 (29th)
2013-14	104.8 (18th)	-5.5 (25th)
2014-15	105.2 (25th)	-5.6 (26th)
2015-16	99.1 (12th)	-1.0 (19th)

The Magic may not have a single star player on the level of Andrew Wiggins or Karl-Anthony Towns, the two phenoms they played Wednesday night. They do have a young group progressing together on the court, though, and a veteran coach with a track record of making quick improvements. If players like Aaron Gordon and Mario Hezonja, who didn't do much in the win over Minnesota, can start to blossom, Orlando could really start moving up the ranks in the East.

Russell Westbrook can beat the ailing Pelicans by himself. The Thunder were without Kevin Durant and the Pelicans were without basically half of their roster on Wednesday. Westbrook took this as an opportunity to go off for a monster 43-point, nine-rebound, eight-assist performance in a 110-103 OKC victory. The only other player to do anything of note for the Thunder was big man Enes Kanter, who came off the bench for 24 points and 14 rebounds. Every other player on Oklahoma City combined for the same number of points as Westbrook. Except, those eight players needed 45 shots to score 43 points. Westbrook took just 25. Sure, New Orleans might be in trouble right now, but this was a simply dominant performance by one of the game's best to avoid a letdown without KD.

The Sixers don't look close to winning soon. To be blunt, Philadelphia was a mess in its 112-85 loss Wednesday night. Liberty Ballers called out the team after the ugly defeat, which dropped its record to 0-12, and didn't mince words about the state of the on-court product at the moment:

This is, by far, the most disappointed I’ve been about the Sixers since Sam Hinkie took over as general manager in 2013. Not about the future, because that still has a chance to be bright, but the product out on the court. They’re not a group of lovable losers, fighting and battling on every possession, trying to show they have a place in this league.

The 76ers recorded 29 turnovers, the most by any team in a game this season. They allowed Paul George and C.J. Miles to go off for a combined 54 points, plus one pair of broken ankles. They got whistled for taking the floor with six players. A 22-7 run by Indiana to open the second half effectively put the game away without Philadelphia showing much of a fight.

Fans might still believe in The Process as a way of bringing a championship to Philadelphia, but the losses are becoming increasingly hard to stomach.

Play of the night

Rudy Gobert is 7'2. He's one of the better defensive big men in the NBA. On this play, DeMar DeRozan completely obliterates him. This is Dunk of the Year material. The Raptors shooting guard at least has to be in the running now.