Rockets win wild shootout with Mavericks in season restart

It was a good thing to see Harden and the rest of the Rockets back on the court. After months of waiting and anticipation, fans were excited to see what exactly the team would bring in their league return. The answer? Points, and lots of them.

The Rockets would pour in exactly 153 of them in their return, lighting up the scoreboard in their 153-149 victory against the Dallas Mavericks.

James Harden was sensational in his first game back. He had been conditioning and doing yoga in the offseason, and his leaner frame helped him immediately to the tune of a perfect first quarter -- 23 points on 6-6 shooting, to go along with 3 assists and a rebound. He was a perfect 9-9 on free throws.

The rest of the ream also shot relatively well. Co-star Russell Westbrook had 31 points on 43% shooting, in tandem with eight assists and 11 rebounds. Danuel House Jr. had 20 points on 53% from the field. Ben McLemore went a perfect 4-4 from the field, good for 13 points.

As had been the case for a good chunk of the season (and especially after center Clint Capela was traded), defense posed a huge issue. The Rockets dropped 42 in the first quarter, but gave up 42. They would give up 43 more points in the second quarter. They were on pace to give up 170 points total by the end of the first half.

Big man Kristaps Porzingis feasted on the block against the Rockets, earning a plethora of defensive rebounds to close out possessions and second-chance points on offensive rebounds. Porzingis finished on the night with 39 points and 16 rebounds, with two of those rebounds offensive.

All seemed lost in the fourth until the Rockets miraculously managed to force the game into overtime. After giving up what seemed to be the knockout punch in the form of a Maxi Kleber three, James Harden would return the favor with his own three to push his total to 41. A Luka Doncic miss and subsequent foul would send Robert Covington to the line. He'd make both.

Seth Curry, a normally surefire free throw shooter, would miss a free throw after he was fouled, giving the Rockets a chance to take the lead with five seconds remaining in the game. The ball was inbounded to James Harden, who was immediately fouled to prevent a three that would tie the game at 139. He made his first free throw and missed the second, allowing Robert Covington to rebound the ball quickly and lay the ball in to tie the game.

The Rockets would turn things on in overtime. Harden would drop seven points in the overtime period to bring his total to 49 for the night. His final line was 49 points on 70% from the field, 18 free throws made, eight assists, and nine rebounds. Key defensive stops and clutch free throw shots from Harden and P.J. Tucker would effectively seal the game for the night.

The win was a huge jump out of the gate for Houston, and a step in the right direction for the restarted season. The Rockets will face another huge defensive test in their next game against reigning MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks.