CHICAGO -- James Harden swished 17 of 18 free throws and scored a game-high 35 points to lead the Houston Rockets past the Philadelphia 76ers, 104-93, on Monday night at the Wells Fargo Center.
Two other Rockets came up big for Houston as Dwight Howard tallied 11 points and 14 rebounds while Trevor Ariza drilled six 3-pointers for 24 points.
On the Sixers' end, Tony Wroten finished with 20. KJ McDaniels added 14 and Brandon Davies chipped in 14. Prized rookie Nerlens Noel chipped in 10 points, five dimes and one rebound but Philly sorely missed Michael Carter-Williams who sat out with a shoulder injury..
With their recent debacle, Philadelphia, which remained winless in four games. Against a powerhouse Western Conference team, the young Sixers just didn't have enough to defend their home court.
With Howard in the middle, the Rockets out-rebounded the Sixers, 47-31. Houston also spaced the floor better and ended up making 16 of 34 triples against Philly's 11 of 22 fare from beyond the 3-point arc.
Houston's 4-0 start is the best in franchise history since the 1996-97 season when the team won six straight to open the season. But their next two assignments will be severe tests.
"Tomorrow is going to be a challenge for us in Miami. They (Heat and Spurs) are two extremely great teams, two different styles of play, but it's going to be great tests. Tomorrow is a big game for us," Harden told the Houston Chronicle. (Homer D. Sayson)
Photo: A swarm of Rockets crowd Alexey Sved's drive to the hoop in Houston's 104-93 win over the Sixers.
Comments
Share your thoughts on the above article by Homer D. Sayson.