No, the Rockets are not the best team in the league. But they are extremely good.
Are the Rockets the best team in the NBA?
We have that and more in Monday’s NBA newsletter.
Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images
Good morning. Let’s basketball.
Scores Galore ...
Friday
GSW 133, ORL 112
DET 91, WAS 109
IND 115, TOR 120
CHA 100, MIA 105
SAC 107, CHI 106
SAS 95, MEM 79
MIN 107, OKC 111
NOP 108, UTA 114
Saturday
PHX 111, BOS 116
LAC 82, DAL 108
ATL 114, BKN 102
MEM 111, CLE 116
DET 103, PHI 108
SAC 104, MIL 109
LAL 100, DEN 115
NOP 123, POR 116
Sunday
ORL 105, NYK 100
GSW 123, MIA 95
LAC 106, MIN 112
SAS 87, OKC 90
HOU 118, LAL 95
... And So Much More
But seriously folks, the Rockets are 18-4 and have won seven straight. They are 8-0 with Chris Paul this season. Houston went 11-1 in November and 10 of those wins were by at least 10 points. This marriage of Daryl Morey’s roster, Mike D’Antoni’s system, and the overwhelming basketball genius of James Harden and Chris Paul have been extraordinary.
Love this Tim Cato joint on the monsters who scream at corner three shooters from the bench.
Seerat Sohi on Jeremy Lamb, who just needed an NBA home to thrive.
This defensive possession by the Suns is just disgusting. It’s not even like watching a car crash. It’s like watching a group of five people watching a car crash.
Joel Embiid and Andre Drummond have developed a bit of Big Man Beef, albeit in good spirits. Embiid won the battle on Saturday.
BIG MEN EUROSTEPPING. I LOVE IT. Clint Capela had a baseline Eurostep on Sunday night that blew my mind.
Anthony Davis left Friday night’s Pelicans loss in a wheelchair with an apparent pelvic injury. No word yet on his status, except that he won’t play Monday.
No dead coach bounce in Memphis. Eleven straight losses now. The Grizzlies are three times closer to last place than the No. 8 seed.
Don’t think that win over the Spurs on Sunday shows that the Thunder have figured it out. They actually barely edged a Spurs B-team.
Wonderful send-off from Marc Stein for retiring David Lee. It’s easy to forget that he was the first big Warriors addition on paper.
Extremely rude inbounds pass by Nicolas Batum.
Donovan Mitchell is the best rookie few are talking about. Dude has won a few games for the Jazz in their greatest time of need.
Shouts to the great Lafayette “Fat” Lever for getting his jersey raised in Denver!
Magic Johnson was not a Mike D’Antoni fan — a Mike F’antoni, if you will — when the mustachioed maestro coached the Lakers. When D’Antoni was fired, Magic tweeted “Happy days are here again!” It was quite out of character for Earvin, to be sure. On Sunday, on occasion of the Rockets smashing the Lakers, who are now run by Magic, D’Antoni’s wife Laurel GOT HEEEEEEEM.
Kevin Durant got ejected on Friday. Then Shaun Livingston on Sunday. What is going on with this?
Ten reasons the Cavaliers keep winning, starring LeBron James and also LeBron James.
Chris Paul still talks to DeAndre Jordan “just about every day.”
Shout out to Bam Adebayo for locking up Steph Curry on the perimeter. Miami has been a mild disappointment, but I still believe in the Heat long term.
Big Monday slate with 11 games. NBA TV has Bucks-Celtics at 7:30 p.m. ET for what seems like the 12th time this season. Kind of a shrug-worthy night otherwise in terms of competitive, high-end pairings, but LeBron, the Warriors, and DeMarcus Cousins are all in action. Full schedule here.
And finally: On Saturday, Nerlens Noel visited the media room to grab a hot dog at halftime. He said he needed energy for the second half. He picked up a DNP. On Sunday, he explained why and apologized. The Nerlens Noel Experience is everything.
Be excellent to each other.
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