James Harden’s triple double too much for Cavs
It was showdown between The Beard and The King Thursday night as the Cleveland Cavaliers took on the Houston Rockets, and oh boy what a show it was. LeBron led the Cavs with 33 points and seven assists, but Harden’s triple double overshadowed any greatness Cleveland’s favorite son put on display.
Behind a beastly 35 points, 11 rebounds and 13 assists, the Rockets downed the Cavs 117-113 and she them packing. Harden drained six triples, made five steals and threw in one block for good measure as Houston held a comfortable lead for the majority of the game.
With the ongoing absence of prized summer addition Chris Paul, the trio of Trevor Ariza, Clint Capela and Eric Gordon continued to step up to the plate and added 56 points to help H-Town’s cause. Capela also reeled in 13 boards and sent away four shots as his work on the glass and dedication to protecting the paint proved vital to the Rocket’s success.
In fact, the Swiss center’s improvements across the board have come as a welcomed surprise. He currently leads the NBA is field goal percentage, beating out the second place Steven Adam’s 65.2 success rate by over four points. His free-throw shooting has spiked to an average 72 percent from an atrocious 53 percent a year ago, and his advanced stats have him sitting at a projected 19.3 points and 15.8 rebounds per 36 minutes.
Capela’s unreal development from year three to year four may reveal itself as a fluke down the line, but if he’s able to maintain his stellar level of play throughout the season, he may actually find himself rewarded with a much deserved Most Improved Player of the Year Award nomination. His numbers as well as his minutes would need to increase for this to happen, but playing like he is now, it would be moronic for the Rockets to refrain from adding to his nightly workload.
