Westbrook Gets Off to Fast Start Despite Rockets Opening-Night Loss

The Rockets are not shying away from their championship expectations in 2019-20, with their season-opener against Milwaukee providing an early test in a battle of likely Finals contenders. Houston fell 117-111 at the Toyota Center while getting outscored by 15 points in the fourth quarter, though optimism should remain regarding the state of Houston's new dynamic duo. 

Here are three takeaways from the Rockets' opening-night loss.

Westbrook in Midseason Form 

It was not a pretty shooting night for James Harden and Russell Westbrook at the Toyota Center on Thursday. Harden did not make a shot in the game's first 20 minutes en route to a 2-13 performance, while Westbrook didn't fare much better, making just seven of 17 attempts from the field. 

But don't let the poor shooting effort obscure the greater picture in the Rockets' loss.

Houston pushed the pace at a relentless clip when Westbrook ran the floor without Harden. The former Thunder point guard snagged rebounds with abandon–falling three assists short of a triple double–and sprinted up the floor flanked by shooters at every opportunity. Westbrook's strongest moments on Thursday came as a passer in transition, whipping the ball to the corner off both hands. P.J. Tucker, Danuel House and Ben McLemore should be major recipients of Westbrook's furious pace.

"I thought Russ was a gamer tonight, no doubt," head coach Mike D'Antoni said. "When the lights go on he's got that competitive spirit. ... He's like a Rocket out there, no pun intended. He goes nuts, that's who he is. He's a competitor, he's going at you."

Westbrook engaged in plenty of half-court action on Thursday, largely avoiding long spells spent with his hands on his hips. He and Harden engaged in a few 1-2 pick-and-rolls, a potential staple for D'Antoni moving forward. Westbrook was left open from three on numerous occasions, likely a common occurrence throughout the season. He will need to shoot a respectable percentage from deep (3-7 on Thursday) to keep Houston's offense humming in the half-court.  

Milwaukee Stifles Harden

The Bucks went 2–0 against the Rockets in 2018-19, in part due to their unique defense on James Harden. Milwaukee severely shaded Harden right, playing almost on the 2017-18 MVPs left hip to take away his patented step back. That same strategy continued to be effective on Thursday night.

Harden finished the evening just 2-13 from the field, with 14 of his points coming from the free-throw line. The Beard also shot 1-8 from three, while Eric Gordon shot an abysmal 3-12 from beyond the arc. Houston's 33.3% mark from three won't be a winning formula in 2019-20. 

Harden shouldered the blame for his poor shooting effort after Thursday's loss. 

"This one is on me, I wasn't aggressive enough," Harden said postgame. "I didn't make shots. ... First game of the season I got to get my rhythm."

Bucks Play Bully Ball

The Rockets were only beaten on the boards 57-53 on Thursday, but Milwaukee's physical advantage consistently emerged in the fourth quarter. The Bucks imposed their will against Houston's starting lineups, sending Antetokounmpo (17 rebounds) to the tin at will until he fouled out midway through the fourth quarter. Another Milwaukee big imposed his will down the stretch. Brook Lopez tallied eight points and an assist in the final six minutes on Thursday, bullying anyone Houston threw in his path. Tucker failed to neutralize Lopez in the post, and House struggled on a pair of switches. Lopez feasted as Milwaukee pulled away late. 

D'Antoni wasn't happy with Milwaukee's interior advantage, noting Clint Capela's struggles in Thursday's loss. 

"[Capela] has to play a little tougher," D'Antoni said. "He's got to react a little bit better. He's slow in his reactions a little bit, but that's normal in his first game so hopefully it gets better."

Houston finished with the NBA's No. 27 rebounding rate in 2018-19. The issue appears to be rearing its ugly head once again after opening night.