The Rockets came from down as many as 13 to edge the Nets behind a monster game from Terrence Jones.
The Rockets’ prospects didn’t look great after the Nets hit their first five consecutive shots to open the game and went on to score an opponent season-high 36 first quarter points.
“They played well,” Kevin McHale said. “It was a dogfight. We haven't given up 36 points in the first quarter all year, but, to their credit, they came out and they were aggressive. They were good. We had a hard time with them."
James Harden (nursing a sore ankle) did not make a field goal in the first quarter for the third consecutive game, but he assisted on five of Houston’s first six baskets. Josh Smith added some flashy plays on both ends of the floor and Pablo Prigioni handed out five assists in just over six minutes, but the Nets had a four-point lead at halftime.
In the second half, Trevor Ariza’s hot shooting continued to push the Rockets offense. Ariza went 5-9 from three for the second consecutive game and finished with his fifth 20+ point game of the season. Ariza has hit 135 three-pointers on the season – good enough for seventh in the NBA. He also extended his streak of consecutive made free throws to 29 – which is the longest active streak in the league.
The Rockets took the lead late in the third and led 74-73 after holding Brooklyn to just 16 points in the quarter and finished the game on a 12-3 run over the final 1:47 highlighted by a Harden go-ahead jumper with 0:27 remaining to secure the win.
"We got some stops which was big, that was the biggest thing in those wins. Tonight, if we could run off those, that’s what we need to do because our half court offense was real sluggish. This week we were able to get some key stops and get some push off that. We needed to find a way to win this game and we did. The game all night long just felt sluggish,” McHale said.
Though Harden’s shooting woes continued (he finished 4-15 FG), he was instrumental in the Rockets’ rally. As he drew double teams on numerous possessions, he found his open teammates to the tune of 12 assists. He finished with 15 points for his third consecutive double-double – which is the longest such streak in his career.
“It’s one of those nights where things weren't going our way, we had to find a way to win the game, its going to be like that sometimes but the beauty of this team is that we've been good battling adversity all year. This is another case where we didn't let it get to us, we just stayed relaxed and made the right plays down the stretch,” Harden said.
But the game belonged to Terrence Jones. Jones scored as season-high 26 points and grabbed 12 boards for his fourth double-double of the season. He has now scored in double-figures in four straight games after missing significant time this season with nerve issues in his leg. The Rockets are 7-0 in games Jones has started this season.
"Terrence had a big game for us tonight. He had 12 rebounds on a night where we were really scrapping to try to keep them off the boards. He had some good put backs and finished around the basket. He 's looking good and we needed that tonight,” McHale said.
The Rockets conclude their five-game home stand Sunday with an afternoon showdown with LeBron James and the Cavaliers.