Rockets Insider: James Harden leads rally to down Mavericks in overtime in restart opener

© Mike Ehrmann/Associated Press

Houston Rockets James Harden (13) dribbles the ball against the Dallas Mavericks during the second half of an NBA basketball game Friday, July 31, 2020, in Lake Buena Vista, Fla. (Mike Ehrmann/Pool Photo via AP)

The Rockets needed something more unbelievable, more entirely unexpected than suddenly shutting down the Mavericks in Lake Buena Vista, Fla.

There seemed nothing more unlikely Friday than the Rockets slowing the Mavericks, who had put up 119 points in three quarters. But once the Rockets did that, they did just enough more.

The Rockets topped the sudden arrival of their defense when Robert Covington tipped in a missed free throw with 3.3 seconds left to send the game to overtime.

Once there, the Rockets seemed rejuvenated, the Mavericks drained and the Rockets rallied to stun the Mavericks 153-149 in overtime to begin their restart schedule.

“We stuck with it,” Rockets guard Russell Westbrook said. “We worked out a way to the win. They thought they had it. We went and took it away.”

It took all kinds of offense and repairs to the defense that came just in time to hold the Mavericks to 20 fourth-quarter points for the Rockets to complete their rally. The Rockets topped 150 points for the third time this season, the most since the 1990-91 Denver Nuggets, but this one came after a 4½-month break in the schedule.

“A lot of heart to win this game,” Rockets coach Mike D’Antoni said. “This is a tough game to win.”

James Harden led the Rockets with 49 points, his 20th 40-point game of the season, making 14 of 20 shots with the Mavericks double-teaming him most of the night. Russell Westbrook added 31. But for all the difficulties the Rockets had with Kristaps Porzingis, Luka Doncic, Tim Hardaway Jr. and Trey Burke, when the Mavericks seemed to tire, the Rockets grew stronger.

“Our confidence defensively was building, especially in that fourth quarter,” Harden said. “We were knocking down shots. We kept getting stops. We kept chipping away, chipping away in the middle of that fourth quarter. They gave us an opportunity. At the end of the day, we gave ourselves a chance.

“We have to get better, though. That’s not even close to where we want to be. We’re building in the right direction.”

The Rockets and Mavericks had combined to score 150 points in the first half, the most in the NBA in 30 years. The Mavericks continued to roll, but the Rockets found enough offense with just a smattering of defensive stops to stay in the game.

“We didn’t do what we talked three straight weeks about doing,” D’Antoni said of the Rockets’ defensive issues finally corrected. “They hit some hard shots to start with, and we kind of at that point abandoned all our principles. It was like being in quicksand. We started flailing.

“We righted the ship. They talked among themselves. In the fourth quarter, (the defense) was good. That’s how we always want to play.”

With 6½ minutes left, the Rockets were down 131-123. But even when they were getting the stops they had spent the game trying to find, they were giving up second shots the Mavericks usually did not need.

Through much of the first half, the Rockets had broken down on switches, allowing the Mavericks to move the ball to open 3s. When the Rockets did a better job of taking away open 3s, the Mavs got offensive boards and hit 3s.

The Rockets had to generate much of their offense by moving the ball out of the double-teams on Harden. Danuel House Jr., starting in place of Eric Gordon, had 20 points. Ben McLemore took advantage, hitting all four of his 3s, but fouled out in just 14 minutes.

But when the Rockets’ defense tightened and the Mavericks finally began missing 3s midway through the fourth quarter, the Rockets gave themselves a chance to steal the win late.

A Westbrook drive brought the Rockets to within six heading into the final four minutes. The Rockets were down seven in the final minute, but Harden knocked down a 3-pointer from 32 feet. Covington sank a pair of free throws, and after Dallas’ Seth Curry made one of two free throws, the Mavericks fouled Harden before he could launch a 3 to tie the game with 3.9 seconds left.

After making his first free throw, he did not intend to miss the second. When he did, Covington made a move to the other side of the rim to tap it in.

“Robert came over and made a heads-up play,” D’Antoni said. “To win games like this, you have to make plays. Robert made a big one there.”

The Rockets saved just enough of their big plays for the finish.