Rockets Escape With Rollercoaster Win in Sacramento

It won’t go down as Houston’s prettiest win this season, but the Rockets remained perfect on their four-game road trip with a 113-104 win over the Kings at the Golden 1 Center in Sacramento.

On the eve of Christmas Eve, Rockets fans were treated to a well-balanced offensive attack with four players—James Harden, Russell Westbrook, Clint Capela and Danuel House—all finishing with double-digit points. But even after the Rockets broke open the game with a 25-point lead in the third quarter, they needed a late-game dagger after the Kings cut the lead to 102-96 in the fourth quarter.

Houston’s nine-point win not only allowed the Rockets to avenge the Kings’ buzzer-beating win in Houston on Dec. 9, but Monday's victory marked six straight road wins. The Rockets now sit third in the Western Conference at 21-9.

Here are three takeaways from Houston's win in Sacramento:

Harden Leads Balanced Attack

Harden couldn’t help from shimmying after knocking down a contested three over De'Aaron Fox in the third quarter, and why wouldn’t he? His triple in the second half capped a 26-6 run as Westbrook and Harden's supporting cast helped Houston take a 97-79 lead into the fourth quarter.

Harden wasn’t exactly dancing in the fourth quarter, though. A 13-0 fourth-quarter run from the Kings helped cut Houston’s lead to 102-96 with 4:40 left. The Rockets missed 10 straight shots and made just three field goals in the final period.

Harden led the way with 34 points in Sacramento followed by Westbrook’s 28 points. Capela finished the night with 15 points and 14 rebounds and Danuel House posted an efficient 14 points. P.J Tucker also pitched in 11 boards.

Free Throws Prove Pivotal

Despite the 31-point showing from Kings point guard De’Aaron Fox, it was his performance from the free throw line that ultimately doomed Sacramento on Saturday. A whopping five missed free throws from Fox in the fourth quarter alone proved pivotal.

On the other side of the court, Clint Capela stepped up to the line with the Rockets’ lead cut to 102-96 with 4:22 left. Capela knocked down the pair of free throws, but it’s what happened next that put the game out of reach.

Right after Capela grew Houston’s lead to 104-96, Ben McLemore stole the ensuing inbounds pass and found Westbrook, who hit a three to make it 107-96 in a matter of seconds.

For the Rockets, who only hit three jumpers in the fourth quarter, Westbrook’s shot was critical to escaping Sacramento with a victory. The Kings and Rockets matched each other with 23 free throws apiece, though the Rockets (20-23) shot over 20% better than the Kings (15-23) from the charity stripe.

Rockets Remain Inconsistent Defensively

After letting the Suns shoot at a 51.6% clip in Phoenix, the Rockets watched the Kings look even better from the field in the first half. After two quarters, the Kings headed into the locker room shooting 52.1%, which kept them in the game despite Houston’s 65-point first half.

Houston responded by forcing the Kings into 11 straight missed shots in the third quarter, advancing Houston's lead to 79-59. But the Rockets’ roller coaster continued in the fourth quarter when they were outscored 25-16. While Houston hit eight more threes than the Kings, Sacramento outscored the Rockets 62-46 in the paint. 

Aside from the strong defensive performance in the third quarter, Houston still has plenty of room for improvement entering Wednesday's matchup against the Warriors. 

Up Next: at Golden State on Wednesday

The Rockets will remain in California for the final frame of their road trip where they have a date with the Warriors on Christmas Day. James Harden’s 36 points helped the Rockets to a 129-112 victory over the Warriors in Houston on Nov. 6.

Clearly this wasn’t the matchup we envisioned at the beginning of the year, with the Warriors limping into Christmas Day with a 7-24 record. Tip-off from the Chase Center in San Francisco is set for 4 p.m. CT.