James Harden led the Rockets with 33 points and eight assists as Houston used a clutch run late in Thursday’s fourth quarter to push past Sacramento, 122-119 (box score). The win improved the Rockets to 1-2 on the 2020-21 regular season, while dropping the Kings to 3-2.
The Rockets trailed by four points with under four minutes to go, but they then went on a 12-2 run in under three game minutes. Of those 12 points, Harden scored 10 and assisted on a Christian Wood dunk for the other two. Veteran defensive ace PJ Tucker didn’t score or take a shot for the entire game, but he had six rebounds, three steals, and two blocks as he proved critical in Houston’s late defensive performance.
“Defensively, when it was time to get stops, we got stops. That’s the most important thing,” Harden said postgame.
Playing in his first regular-season game in over two calendar years, John Wall led Houston in assists with nine and finished second in scoring with 22 points. Meanwhile, his perimeter defense helped limit rising Kings star De’Aaron Fox into a 9-of-23 shooting night (39.1%) on New Year’s Eve.
Wood added 21 points and 12 rebounds, while Eric Gordon scored an efficient 17 points on 50% shooting off Houston’s bench. See below for a compilation of postgame reaction from the Rockets.
