James Harden Drops 59 as Rockets Rally for Win vs. Wizards

James Harden's brilliance masked the worst of the Rockets' defensive shortcomings in Houston's 159-158 win at Washington on Wednesday, with the two-time scoring champion erupting for a season-high 59 points. It wasn't a pretty effort from the Rockets for long stretches on Wednesday, but the Harden-Russell Westbrook duo was enough to overcome a sluggish start.

Here are three takeaways from Wednesday's victory as the Rockets improved to 3–1 in 2019-20. 

Welcome Back, James Harden 

Rockets head coach Mike D'Antoni didn't express any concern regarding his MVP shooting guard after Harden's poor shooting effort against the Pelicans on Oct. 26, telling the media he's "expecting" a 50-point effort the next time Harden takes the floor. It didn't take too long for D'Antoni's prediction to prove prescient. 

Harden turned an efficient 21 points in the first half, but his eruption began with a 21-point third quarter. It looked like MVP Harden in the second-half, powered by a flurry of isolated step-backs. Harden didn't appear to fully have his legs early in the season, clanking plenty of triples off the front iron. His jumper looked back in form on Wednesday with six made threes in 14 attempts. Harden finished the game with 59 points, two shy of his career high. Wednesday's win marked his first 50-point night of the season after nine 50-point games in 2018-19.

D'Antoni and Harden dismissed the poor shooting start as merely small sample size, confident a bounce back would arrive sooner than later. They were proven right quickly in Wednesday's victory.

Weak Defensive Effort

Harden dominance on Wednesday night overshadowed what was largely a disastrous outing for D'Antoni's squad. The Rockets sleepwalked through much of the contest on the defensive end, allowing nine offensive rebounds in the first half while giving up 20 threes on 36 attempts. Bradley Beal finished with 46 points and rookie Rui Hachimura scored a career-high 23. Houston provided little deterrence at the rim–Clint Capela was a minus-one in 30 minutes despite a quality offensive performance–and Washington feasted from beyond the arc. 

D'Antoni has largely chalked Houston's defensive issues up to a lack of effort, and the same problems plagued the Rockets for much of Wednesday, save for Westbrook (more on him below). Houston's defense remains undersized in its bench units, and lineups featuring Harden and/or Gordon are currently scuffling to contain anyone on the perimeter. There will be few more explosive offensive units in the NBA this season, but the Rockets' defensive woes could cost them seeding out West

Westbrook Remains Electric

The fourth quarter has belonged to Russell Westbrook through his first four games with the Rockets. Houston's marquee offseason addition dominated again down the stretch on Wednesday, scoring 14 points in the fourth quarter. The points barely measure Westbrook's impact. He snagged crucial offensive rebounds and saved a pair of 50-50 balls, attacking each possession with an urgency unseen by the rest of the Rockets. 

Westbrook's shot profile is improving by the game. Just one of his 16 shots on Wednesday were inside the arc but not in the paint. He scored his final three shots in the paint, including a tip-in to pull the Rockets within two in the final minute. 

The offseason was riddled with concerns over Westbrook's ability to adapt in Houston. He's been everything the Rockets could have hope for through four games.

Up Next: Battle in Brooklyn on Friday

The Rockets will travel up the east coast on Friday to face Kyrie Irving and the Nets. Perhaps Capela will see a bump in minutes against Brooklyn centers Jarrett Allen and DeAndre Jordan. Harden could be in for another explosive scoring night against the Nets' undersized backcourt.