The Clippers have had a rough go since losing both Blake Griffin (right knee surgery) and Chris Paul (hamstring, day-to-day), and ending the calendar year against the Houston Rockets didn’t make matters any better.
NBA scores 2016: James Harden torches the Clippers for 7th triple-double
Harden put up 30 points, 13 rebounds and 10 assists in a big Rockets win, but that’s not all that happened on Friday.
Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports
And then James Harden went off.
Harden notched his seventh triple-double of the season, torching Los Angeles for 30 points (10-of-15 shooting), 13 rebounds, 10 assists and five steals in a 140-116 beatdown of a hobbled Clippers team on Friday.
He recorded his 10th assist at the 3:30 mark of the fourth quarter, and head coach Mike D’Antoni immediately took his MVP-caliber point guard out of the game. The Rockets piled on 140 points, a season-best for the high-octane Houston offensive attack, and Harden’s squad picked up its eighth win in the last 10 games to advance to 25-9 on the season.
To make matters worse, officials ejected Clippers guard Austin Rivers in the second quarter for what looked like accidental contact with the baseline referee. Moments later, Clips coach Doc Rivers got tossed for walking onto the court and shouting at the official who tossed his son.
Friday provided 10 games the night before New Year’s Eve. If you were out celebrating, as most were, here’s what else you missed in NBA land:
The Pelicans have won four straight
When New Orleans dropped its first eight games and got off to a 2-10 start, the Pelicans plummeted down the Western Conference standings. But Jrue Holiday had more pressing matters to deal with, like doctors discovering his pregnant wife had a brain tumor.
Things panned out well for Holiday’s family — his wife successfully delivered their daughter and doctors successfully removed the tumor — and now the Pelicans’ point guard has successfully catapulted the team back into the Western Conference playoff picture.
New Orleans is 14-21 and tied with Portland for 11th in the West, but the Pelicans are 12-8 in games Holiday has played in. On Friday, he posted a double-double with 12 points (5-of-10 shooting), 11 assists (only one turnover), two blocks and a steal in a win over the Knicks. New Orleans has won four straight and six of its last 10 games.
The Pelicans are only 1.5 games behind the eighth place Kings (14-18), and Holiday’s return has made things interesting for Alvin Gentry’s job security and New Orleans’ playoff hopes.
Both the Pistons and Trail Blazers lost 8 of their last 10
If there was one team in each conference expected to make a jump from last season to this one, it was the Portland Trail Blazers and the Detroit Pistons. Both played above expectations last year — the Pistons pushing Cleveland through a tough four-game playoff series, and Portland getting the better of an injured Clippers team in the first round before falling 4-1 to the Warriors.
But both teams have regressed beyond recognition. They’ve dropped eight of their last 10 games and have gotten away from the things that made them teams to watch this year.
Detroit imploded after starting point guard Reggie Jackson, who missed the beginning of the season with a knee injury, returned to the starting lineup in early December. The Pistons are 4-10 since he’s returned.
No one can put a finger on Portland’s issue. They retained Allen Crabbe, added both Evan Turner and Festus Ezeli in free agency, and have a team built around the dynamic backcourt tandem of Damian Lillard and C.J. McCollum. Yet, somehow things haven’t panned out the way that head coach Terry Stotts envisioned.
The talent is undeniable. Both teams have the roster, on paper, to make noise in their respective conferences. But as the calendar year comes to a close, both are sub-.500 on the outside looking into the playoff picture.
There’s still a lot of time left in the season for both teams to right the ship, but there could be some serious shake-ups next summer if things don’t get on track quickly.
Rajon Rondo was benched for the second half
Chicago Bulls head coach Fred Hoiberg opted not to play his starting point guard in the second half, instead choosing to go with youngsters Jerian Grant and Michael Carter-Williams. Rondo did not score and had only one assist. Indiana outscored Chicago by 20 in the 10 minutes he was on the floor.
This series of tweets from the Chicago Tribune’s K.C. Johnson sums up Rondo’s Friday night.
Carter-Williams posted 12 points and eight rebounds in his 27 minutes on the floor. Grant played eight minutes and scored two points.
Derrick Rose turned back the clock
No one was sure whether Derrick Rose would return to his 21-year-old, MVP-caliber form, but he played with young legs against New Orleans on Friday.
Rose finished with 20 points, albeit on 9-of-21 shooting, including a rare two-handed flush down the middle of the lane. If his health (read: legs) holds up, the Knicks could make a decent-sized playoff push this season.
Joel Embiid faked out Nikola Jokic and the cameraman
Pump fakes are meant to get the defender to bite. But Embiid moved the cameraman out of position with a devastating ball fake that got Nikola Jokic jumping and the cameraman scrambling back to equilibrium.
Embiid finished with 23 points and led the Sixers to their eighth win of the season.
Kevin Durant recorded his first triple-double as a Warrior
Durant scored 19 points on 7-of-14 shooting and notched his first triple-double in a Golden State Warriors jersey. The Warriors have won nine of their last 10, much ado to Durant’s team-leading scoring, rebounding, and shot-blocking.
Friday’s top performances
Isaiah Thomas: 52 points (15-of-26 shooting, 9-of-13 from three, 13-of-13 on free throws), zero assists
Thomas joined a host of Celtics greats as one of only five players in franchise history to record a 50-point game. Boston will enter the New Year third in the East behind just Cleveland and Toronto
James Harden: 30 points (10-of-15 shooting, 8-of-9 on free throws), 13 rebounds, 10 assists, 5 steals
Harden recorded his seventh triple-double of the season in a huge win over a depleted Clippers team, furthering his case for Most Valuable Player of the Year award consideration, despite Russell Westbrook’s historic tear.
Anthony Davis: 23 points (9-of-18 shooting), 18 rebounds, two steals
Davis helped propel the Pelicans to their fourth straight win over a Knicks team, whose Swiss cheese defense allowed New Orleans to do what it wanted when it wanted.
Kevin Durant: 19 points (7-of-14 shooting), 11 rebounds, 10 assists
Durant recorded his first triple-double as a Warrior. Not much else to say here but, “wow.”
John Wall: 19 points (7-of-14 shooting), 14 assists, 4 steals
Wall ended the New Year with a bang, dropping a night’s worth of highlight-reel plays in a win over a struggling Brooklyn Nets team. You can see his best work from Friday here.
Honorable mentions — Montrezl Harrell: career-high 29 points (10-of-14 shooting); Klay Thompson: 29 points (11-of-19 shooting); Paul George: 32 points (10-of-20 shooting); Paul George: 32 points (10-of-20 shooting); Paul Milsap: 26 points (9-of-20 shooting), 6 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 steals; Andrew Wiggins: 31 points (10-of-18 shooting), 6 rebounds, 5 assists; Joel Embiid: 23 points (5-of-13 shooting, 12-of-14 on free throws), 6 rebounds, 5 assists, 3 blocks, 2 steals
Final scores
Pacers 111, Bulls 101 [Indy Cornrows recap | Blog a Bull recap]
Wizards 118, Nets 95 [Bullets Forever recap | Nets Daily recap]
Celtics 117, Heat 114 [Celtics Blog recap | Hot Hot Hoops recap]
Pelicans 104, Knicks 92 [The Bird Writes recap | Posting and Toasting recap]
Rockets 140, Clippers 116 [The Dream Shake recap | Clips Nation recap]
Timberwolves 116, Bucks 99 [Canis Hoopus recap | Brew Hoop recap]
Hawks 105, Pistons 98 [Peachtree Hoops recap | Detroit Bad Boys recap]
76ers 124, Nuggets 122 [Liberty Ballers recap | Denver Stiffs recap]
Spurs 110, Trail Blazers 94 [Pounding the Rock recap | Blazer’s Edge recap]
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