Houston stayed hot last night with a 96-85 win over the Jazz in Utah. Harden led the charge with 26 points 11 boards and 5 assists. Chris Paul had another solid night with 15, 6, and 7. The real difference maker was the Rockets’ defense. Houston held the Jazz to a measly 85 points and forced them to commit 22 turnovers. This win takes Houston to an insane 30-1 when their big three of Harden, Paul and Capella are all healthy and in the lineup. This lineup also boasts a plus 13.8 point differential. The Rockets look more and more like worthy competition for Golden State. Each night it looks more likely that we are going to see a Houston Golden State matchup in the conference finals and its going to be a series for the ages. Houston is the only team with enough offensive firepower to compete with Golden State and the matchup will likely come down to defense. We already know that Golden State can defend at all five positions. But Houston is starting to show their ability to lock teams down as well. Both of these teams defensive strength comes from their bigs’ ability to check smaller guards. Houston switches pick and rolls the most frequently in the league by switching 36.5% of the time. Golden State is right behind them with 33.5%. The freedom to switch this often allows their defenses to be versatile. It also doesn’t hurt that they can outscore anyone on most nights. I’m excited to watch these two heavyweights fight it out for the top spot in the west for the rest of the season.
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