In the 2018-19 NBA season, Rockets forward Danuel House Jr went from an average of more than 25 minutes per game in the regular season to not playing at all in the last four playoff games of Houston’s unsuccessful second round of the Golden State Warriors.
In Thursday’s Game 2 victory over the Rockets in their first-round playoff series versus Oklahoma City, the 27-year-old sent a clear signal to his team and the league that it will not happen again.
In the 111-98 victory (goal scoring), House led the Rockets in minutes (38), rebounds (nine), and his 19 points were No. 2 on the roster – beating only MVP finalist James Harden. Houston was +19 in the 38 minutes that House played, and -6 in the 10 minutes he did not.
“Last year, I felt like I was letting people down, including myself,” House said. “This year I came up with a new mindset, a new mentality.”
House also gave credit to Houston coaching staff, led by Mike D’Antoni, and veteran leaders such as Harden, Russell Westbrook, and Eric Gordon. Here is a sample of what House said after postgame:
It’s great to have great leaders like Harden, Russ, EG, all the older guys who instill confidence inside me and tell me to play my game in the best way. …
We have a good staff here. I feel like the staff will work us out and put through drills that will be more game-like. I just feel like the staff collectively – besides those two Hall of Famers, of course – are doing an unbelievable task of preparing us for games.
After halftime, House and the Rockets took over Game 2 with a 16-2 run in seven-plus minutes to start the third quarter and a 20-2 run over about seven minutes late in the third quarter and early in the fourth. House was for the vast majority of both runes on the court, with the second arrival with Harden mostly on the bench.
“That was the game right there,” Harden said. ‘The boys just took it upon themselves to protect / We felt like Oklahoma City was getting tired, and we just kept pushing the gas on them. That was a game changer for us. Huge shoutout to D-House, Jeff, Tuck, all the guys who were in there in that fourth quarter. ”
“House came in and was aggressive, helped us attack from the edge,” added defensive ace and veteran leader PJ Tucker. He went on to say:
They pay so much attention to Eric and James that House is able to get in there and make some plays with Jeff. …
They want to take James away? Guess what, we have 12 guys in this team that can do it every night. We start doing that. That’s what it will take for us to win it. If we are going to win this thing this year, we need everyone to perform in different games, and keep our superstars and go through what they are going through.
While House tied for 6-of-13 shots (46.2% FG) overall, including 3-of-8 on 3-pointers (37.5%), he had a stretch in the middle of the game where ‘ t he went cold and missed six straight shots. But it never seems to take a toll on his defensive focus as an effort.
“Even if you do not score a goal, as long as I defend, rebound and stay for someone, and this team wins, I will be happy,” House said. ‘I promise you that. And I’m pretty sure everyone in the wardrobe will be happy. ‘
House posted his comments on the postgame by:
I’m competing here to make sure I give my brothers my all. Like I said before, my goal is to find more to do. Even if there is nothing more to do, find more to do. If you keep yourself busy and keep yourself moving and playing with a lot of energy, there are always things that can be done. That’s what I’m trying to do. I’m just trying to move myself. I try to use my energy in the right way to help this team win at all costs. …
We want to make sure that boys do not keep to themselves, so that boys show great energy to the court and from the court. And the boys who do not play show great energy. They also become focal, and they communicate with everything that happens.
At 6-foot-6, House is one of the most athletic, long and defensively versatile options for Mike D’Antoni’s small ball scheme. That athleticism was on full display in Thursday’s playoff victory, which gave the Rockets a commanding 2-0 lead over the Thunder in the best-of-seven series.
Back in July, when the NBA’s 2019-20 season finally went down again on the Disney World “Bubble” after a long COVID-19 hiatus, Rockets named GM Daryl Morey House as an early standout at training camp. “I think he realizes this is one of the most important moments of his career,” Morey said. ‘Last year he didn’t get the minutes in the playoffs that he might have thought he would. I think he’s trying to earn those minutes this year. ”
Just a month later, House does just that.
Game 3 between the Rockets and Thunder will air at 5pm Central on Saturday, with a national broadcast on ESPN and a regional version (featuring Houston announcers) on AT&T SportsNet Southwest.
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