Sure the Houston Rockets were winning when Clint Capela was out with the right thumb injury he suffered in January — that’s what having a superstar in James Harden will do for you — but there’s no question that the Rockets are better with him on the floor than off of it.
In Saturday’s 119-108 win over the Sacramento Kings, Capela had 24 points and 15 rebounds with two blocks. His plus-minus was a plus-21 and his rim running and defense is a real difference maker for the Rockets.
Harden had himself another magnificent masterpiece, but Caple’s contributions shouldn’t be ignored.
Since his return from the injury on February 21, Houston is now 17-3 and entering Saturday’s contest, Capela was averaging 14.1 points and 12.8 rebounds.
On top of that, the Rockets are now 49-28 at 21 games over and combined with the Trail Blazers loss to the Pistons, they now have moved into the third seed in the unforgiving Western Conference.
The West playoff standings are so jumbled up, so the Rockets won’t know their playoff opponent until the regular season is over, but if the season ended today, they would matchup with the Los Angeles Clippers. While the Clippers are a well coached team and would certainly be a tough matchup, you’d like their chances against a team with no All-Stars.
The Rockets have a rematch with the Kings in Sacramento on Tuesday at 9:00 p.m. CST.
