Full-Strength Rockets Blitz Nuggets in Home Victory

The Rockets closed the 2010s in style at the Toyota Center on Tuesday night, erupting for 69 first-half points en route to a 130-104 win over the Nuggets in a battle of Western Conference contenders. 

Tuesday's matchup provided a stark contrast from Sunday's loss in New Orleans, with Houston going from short-handed to fully stocked as Russell Westbrook, James Harden and Clint Capela all returned to the floor. With Eric Gordon back and the aforementioned trio now fully healthy, the Rockets could sport the NBA's best offense through the rest of 2019-20. Houston flashed its dominant offensive potential on Tuesday night. 

Here are three takeaways from Tuesday's victory: 

Harden, Rockets Bust Trap

The Nuggets stifled Harden and the Rockets in mid-November as they became the first team this season to consistently rely on double teams against the two-time scoring champion. Harden's teammates struggled to punish Denver for its decision to trap in November. Open shooters failed to pull the trigger from beyond the arc, and Westbrook hesitated to roll downhill in 4-on-3 opportunities. A potential blueprint for slowing the Rockets emerged.

The maneuver by Nuggets head coach Mike Malone led to a slew of similar schemes against Houston, and the Rockets have made significant progress beating the Harden trap in recent weeks. Westbrook has been furious attacking the rim, while perimeter threats Ben McLemore, Danuel House and P.J. Tucker are letting threes fly with abandon. The Rockets displayed their progress against the trap time and again on Tuesday night. 

Harden finished the evening with 35 points on just 17 shots, leading as a distributor against a slate of double teams. The 2017-18 MVP made two heady passes against double teams late in the second quarter, leading to a pair of buckets to close the half. 

Malone justified his strategy to double pregame, telling the media it was necessary to "take the ball out of the best scorer in recent memory’s hands." And while Malone is justified defending against a scoring eruption from Harden, the Rockets now appear comfortable busting the trap with relative ease. The NBA may need a new blueprint to slow down The Beard in 2020.

Gordon Adds Scoring Boost

Eric Gordon finished Tuesday night with a game-best plus-20 in 26 minutes, continuing his strong play since returning to the floor on Sunday in New Orleans. Gordon has 32 points in his last two games, and he’s banged home eight of 12 threes. The Indiana product spent the first nine games of 2019-20 laboring up the court, hampered by his injured knee. Gordon is now creeping toward like his old self after returning from surgery.

“[Gordon] was playing with a lot of pain before, and some games he was okay with it and some games he was hurting,” D’Antoni said before Houston’s win on Tuesday. “He's going to be the Eric of old soon. ...He'll be explosive.”

Gordon spent significant minutes next to Russell Westbrook on Tuesday, though his greatest impact came as a trap buster next to Harden. Gordon’s range and aptitude off the bounce makes him a pivotal part of the Rockets’ offense against the trap, taking advantage of defenses who sag off the electric bench scorer. Gordon rounds out Houston’s attack, creating a potentially lethal backcourt trio in April and May.

Capela Active in Return

Capela's two-game absence over the weekend allowed backup center Isaiah Hartenstein to earn consistent playing time, but Capela won't have to worry about losing his starting role anytime soon. The 25-year-old center finished the matchup against Nikola Jokic and the Nuggets with 14 points and 10 rebounds on Tuesday, appearing fully healthy after missing the last two games with a right heel contusion. Capela feasted on lobs in the halfcourt, and he provided sturdy rim protection as Denver's guards attacked the paint. Capela is on the right track as we enter 2020. 

Hartenstein won't be replacing Capela by any imagination, but he may be supplanting Tyson Chandler as the team's primary backup center. Hartenstein logged his first career double-double on Tuesday, and he's averaging 14.7 points and 11.3 rebounds per game since Dec. 28. Hartenstein is impressively active on the glass, and his feet are nimble dancing into the lane on the pick-and-roll. Houston entered December with a glaring need at center, one that was likely to be addressed on the trade market by February's deadline. But the position may be stabilizing after a pair of rocky months.

“Offensively, [Hartenstein] does things nobody can teach,” D’Antoni said postgame. “He’s quick in getting picks for [Harden], he’s quick off the ball, relentless on the boards. Just his energy alone makes him valuable.”

Up Next: vs. 76ers on Friday

Capela and the Rockets' frontcourt will face a major test for the second straight game on Friday as Joel Embiid follows Jokic at the Toyota Center. The 76ers roll into their first game of 2020 on a two-game losing streak, sitting sixth in the Eastern Conference at 23–13. Philadelphia still holds title aspirations despite its (relatively) shaky start to the year, entering 2019-20 after winning 51 games last season.

Tip-off from the Toyota Center on Friday is slated for 7 p.m. CT.