Whatever your opinion is on the James Harden trade, right now it's Rockets 1, Thunder 0. He certainly looked like a guy who can carry a team Wednesday night as he lead Houston with 37 points and 12 assists in route to a win over the Pistons. He looked great playing alongside Jeremy Lin and the Rockets have got to be thinking playoffs now. Harden, in his fourth season, played like the perfect combo guard. He is just as comfortable making plays as he is finishing them. An unselfish player in OKC, Harden clearly has no problem being 'the guy'. It was a great day for Harden, as his great game came hours after he signed a max deal of five years, $80 million. It's only one game, but Harden's Rockets debut couldn't have gone better.
What better way for Anthony Davis to begin his career than play against the guy he should emulate. Tim Duncan and the Spurs got the best of Davis and the Hornets, but the 'Brow played like a top pick for sure. His 21 points and 7 boards were nice. But perhaps more impressive were the zero turnovers and perfect night at the line. Duncan wasn't about to be outdone by a rookie though. He finished up with 24 and 10, helped by strong efforts from Tony Parker and Kawhi Leonard. A tough home loss for the Hornets no doubt, but they will be very competitive this year. Clearly Davis is a star in the making.
The other strong rookie debut happened later in Portland. Damian Lillard had 23 points and 11 assists as he lead his Blazers to an upset of the Lakers. Lillard just looks like an NBA point guard, fitting the mold of Kyrie Irving. His presence energized his Blazer teammates. Aldridge, Hickson, Batum, and Matthews all played well. Highly-drafted scoring point guards have transitioned well into the NBA and Lillard looks like the newest addition to that list.
It's not an NBA blog without one Lakers mention, so here you go. Howard played well, with 33 points, 14 boards and 15-19 from the line. Kobe went for 30 on 10-20 shooting. Gasol also had a nice game. So why is the Lake Show 0-2? Steve Nash has been non-existent, and it didn't help that he left last night's game in the 3rd with a bruised leg. He will miss valuable practice time as he recovers. But most of all, it's the bench. Lakers subs have been a let down and Mike Brown needs to scramble to find a rotation that works. A team with defensive stars such as Howard, Kobe and Peace should not allow 116 points to the Blazers. Still no need to panic, but an 0-3 start looms as the Lakers get a good Clippers team on Friday.
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