On January 5, Beijing time, the NBA regular season continued. The Rockets lost to the Mavericks 100-113. In the game, Wall 14 points, 4 rebounds and 4 assists, Harden 21 points, 3 rebounds, 10 assists and 2 steals. Doncic had 33 points, 16 rebounds and 11 assists, Hardaway had 30 points, 7 rebounds and 2 assists.
For the Rockets, this game is the best chance for the team to run in, because after sending Westbrook to Wall, everyone wants to see what Harden and Wall can play. The chemistry, the previous few games, was a warm-up show for Wall, and it was also a debugging period for Harden to get back a variety of touches. But facing the Mavericks, this was an opportunity. Unfortunately, the Rockets lost again. .
The last time the two sides played against each other was on August 1, 2020. In that game, the Rockets beat the Mavericks 153-149 hard, and the two sides fought until the end of overtime. In this game, The Mavericks opened up their advantage in the first quarter and once led by 12 points. In the second quarter, the Rockets slowly recovered, but in the third quarter, the Mavericks continued to expand their lead, and in the fourth quarter the Rockets continued to expand their lead. The team re-adjusted and almost saw the opportunity to overtake, but in the end it was still expanded by the Lone Ranger team. In the end, neither Harden nor Wall were able to recover.
It is worth mentioning that before the game, the Rockets guard "marksman" Ben McClemo lifted the isolator. In the phone interview before the game, McClemo shouted with excitement: "I'm back. Now, I’m healthy!” One can imagine how excited it is for him to be able to return to the game, but the reality is that the Rockets’ head coach put him on the bench for a second. Not to him. In the last season, McClemo played 71 games on behalf of the Rockets, averaging 10.1 points in 22.8 minutes per game, and his three-point shooting percentage reached 40%. At the critical moment, He is often the Rockets' killer, but this game is still hidden by the Rockets.
Of course, there are various limitations in the game. Everything is calculated based on the current number of hits. Harden made only 5 of 17 shots and 3 of 11 three-pointers. The minimum plus-minus value of the game reached -24 points. Harden’s poor touch was the main reason the Rockets lost, but looking back at Wall, they both felt similar.
Therefore, from the perspective of McClemo’s high-profile desire to play the game until he is not given a second chance, the Rockets still need to make various adjustments in the lineup to give the ball to players who want to shoot and are confident that they can hit. , Let Harden pass the ball with Waldo, and give a lot of opportunities, maybe it is also a good coup.
