James Harden, Russell Westbrook Bury Suns in Road Victory

The Rockets enjoyed the luxury of having two former MVPs on Saturday night as Houston's dynamic duo sprinted past the Suns with a 139-125 win at Talking Stick Resort Arena in Phoenix. James Harden carried Houston in the opening 24 minutes with 29 first-half points, then Russell Westbrook took the reigns after the two teams hit the locker room. Houston's dynamic duo combined for 77 points on 54% shooting on Saturday, turning in perhaps their best dual performance of the season. General manager Daryl Morey is likely quite satisfied with his offseason acquisition through 29 games. 

Here are three takeaways from the Rockets' victory as they advanced to 20–9 in 2019-20.

Harden Unleashes Scoring Eruption

The Beard didn't need much time to find his rhythm en route to a 47-point night on Saturday. Harden made six of his first seven shots against Phoenix's defense, including a trio of triples late in the opening quarter. Harden sought switches at nearly every available opportunity, taking advantage of Phoenix's reticence to send a double team. Rookie Ty Jerome was woefully overmatched, as was young Suns guard Elie Okobo. Harden found the lane at will, and he had plenty of room on his patented step-back three.

Harden has now scored 40-plus points in five of his last 11 games, and he has 12 40-point games this season. But his scoring dominance isn't a solo effort, especially of late. The Rockets were flummoxed by opponents' consistent double teams of Harden in late November, leading to a bottled MVP and stagnant Rockets offense. Houston froze on 4-on-3 opportunities, allowing opposing defenses to scramble back to their assignments without retribution. Houston has seen a major uptick in aggressiveness of late, led by Russell Westbrook on the wing next to his fellow superstar.

"[Westbrook] is being aggressive," Harden said on Saturday. "Early in the year he was trying to find his comfort level. ...He's comfortable now. As the season continues to go on and we get Eric [Gordon] back in a few games, we'll find how guys get their shots."

The Rockets have established a slate of non-Harden perimeter threats in the last few weeks, led by Westbrook, Ben McLemore and P.J. Tucker. Houston's supporting cast was aggressive off the catch once again on Saturday, leading to substantial breathing room for Harden in another dominant performance. 

Westbrook Shines Despite Shot Selection

Should the Rockets just let Westbrook be Westbrook? There's evidence to support the theory of late. The former Thunder star started 2019-20 adhering to the tenants of Moreyball, limiting his mid-range attempts and quick-trigger threes. Westbrook wasn't rewarded for his good behavior. He shot just 39.9% from the field and 21.6% from three through Dec. 5, failing to find a rhythm next to Harden and Co. But Westbrook has turned the tide of late. 

Westbrook finished Saturday night with 30 points and 10 assists as he continued a string of strong performances. He's averaging 29.3 points, 7.8 rebounds and 7.1 assists per game in his last seven contests, shooting 49% from the field in the process. The strong play has come outside the confines of Houston's typical system, and the trend continued in Phoenix. Westbrook attempted 11 mid-range shots on Saturday, including two 20-footers. He launched jumpers early in the shot clock and out of isolation post-ups. Yet despite his break from orthodoxy, Westbrook shined in the desert. Perhaps the stylistic diversity is healthy in such a stringent system. 

Rockets Shaky Inside

The Rockets' defense was far from sturdy on Saturday as they allowed the Suns to shoot 51.6% from the field. Seven Phoenix players finished in double figures, in large part due to the Rockets' struggles to defend the rim. The Suns finished Saturday night with 64 points in the paint, including 20 in the second quarter as they cut into Houston’s early lead.

“We need to be mentally tougher a little bit sometimes,” Rockets head coach Mike D’Antoni said postgame. “It's not easy. We had an emotional game two nights ago, you're on a road trip, Christmas is coming up, just a lot of distractions.”

The Rockets have proved to be a middling defense through 29 games, sitting at No. 16 in defensive rating. They have the requisite personnel to sport a top flight defense, as evidenced by Thursday’s win in Los Angeles. But lapses like Saturday may ultimately keep the Rockets outside the top two seeds in the Western Conference standings. 

Up Next: at Sacramento on Monday

The Rockets will head back to California for the third leg of their four-game road trip on Monday, facing off against Buddy Hield at the Kings. Houston will get a chance at some revenge in the matchup, traveling to Sacramento just two weeks after Kings' forward Nemanja Bjelica buried the Rockets with a game-winning three at the Toyota Center on Dec. 9. The Kings enter Monday's matchup ninth in the West at 12–17.

Tip-off from the Golden 1 Center in Sacramento is slated for 9 p.m. CT.