Hornets at Rockets
James Harden and the Houston Rockets have cooled off with four losses in their last five games. Harden is averaging 25.9 points but is shooting 32.9 percent in that stretch. Harden scored 22 points on 6-of-17 shooting in Monday’s three-point loss to Miami and will try to improve his percentage Wednesday against the visiting New Orleans Hornets.
New Orleans has been idle since Friday's 107-99 home win over Charlotte. Rookie Anthony Davis returned from missing two games with a mild concussion and collected a career-high 23 points and 11 rebounds for his first double-double. The Hornets have won three of four since a season-opening loss to San Antonio despite averaging the fewest points in the Western Conference.
ABOUT THE HORNETS (3-2): While Davis gets the attention for being the top pick in last year’s draft, fellow rookie Brian Roberts also played well Friday. Roberts was undrafted out of Dayton and spent the previous four seasons in Europe. Against Charlotte, he scored 16 points on 7-of-8 shooting in a reserve role. Ryan Anderson also is off to a good start as he scored 25 points on Friday and hit five 3-pointers for the second time this season.
ABOUT THE ROCKETS (3-4): The Rockets have dropped three of their first four home games and have shot under 45 percent in three of those contests, including their lone home win against Detroit. Chandler Parsons scored a career-high 25 points on Monday and also had a career-high five 3-pointers. Jeremy Lin scored 46 points in his first three games but is 12-of-34 from the field in his last four. Houston’s 41.2 shooting percentage is the second-worst in the Western Conference, ahead of only Sacramento.
Buzzer Beaters:
1. Despite having the worst offense in the West, New Orleans is allowing 88.6 points per game, good for third in the league.
2. Last season, the Rockets dropped two of three to New Orleans. In their lone victory, they won in overtime despite scoring seven points in the fourth quarter.
3. New Orleans’ bench has contributed 116 points so far, including 56 in Friday’s win over Charlotte.