The numbers make him cringe and eat at the main principle he has preached since signing a five-year contract in the summer. Washington Wizards coach Scott Brooks would say the Wizards are going to be a two-way team, then he would harp a little more on defense. Progressively since training camp, he would bring up defense more and more.
Despite the emphasis, Brooks phrased the Wizards’ pursuit of being a two-way team plainly before their game.
“Our offense is much better than our defense,” Brooks said.
That daily problem is about to be amplified. The resurgent Wizards flew to Houston on Sunday, where the boogeyman of any defensive scheme resides. Rockets guard James Harden has evolved from a dominant scorer, so adept at using his left hand and endless moves to draw fouls, to an offensive force not seen since Wilt Chamberlain.
His performance Saturday was staggering. Harden became the first player in NBA history to score 50 or more points and have 15 or more assists. His 53 points tied Chamberlain’s record for most points in a triple-double. Chamberlain set the record 48 years ago when he had 53 points, 32 rebounds and 14 assists for the Philadelphia 76ers against the Los Angeles Lakers. Harden’s full line against the New York Knicks was 53 points, 16 rebounds and 17 assists.
There’s more.
Eight of Harden’s assists led to a made 3-pointer, meaning he either scored or assisted on 95 of his team’s 129 points. The only player in NBA history who had a higher total in a single game was Chamberlain, who, in his 100-point game in 1962, was also credited with two assists, producing a total of 104 points that he either scored or on which he assisted. Harden also set a Rockets record for assists in a month by delivering 194 in December. That broke the old record of 183. He had set that in November.
Harden comes into Monday night’s game against the Wizards (16-16) creeping toward triple-double averages. He’s scoring 28.5 points per game, providing 12 assists and acquiring 8.5 rebounds. Oklahoma City point guard Russell Westbrook is averaging a triple-double and in pursuit of becoming the first player to do so for a single season since Oscar Robertson in 1962.
Brooks coached Harden when the two were in Oklahoma City. He knows the expansive complications Harden presents, particularly in the system of Rockets coach Mike D’Antoni. D’Antoni decided to increase slightly from the brisk pace he coached his teams to in Phoenix from 2005-08. Then, the Suns, engineered by Steve Nash, worked at a pace of 95.6 or higher. With the ball in Harden’s hands, the Rockets are up to a 98.4 pace (an estimate of possessions per 48 minutes).
Before Harden’s historic night, Brooks was already concerned about the Wizards’ defense. Asked where he would prefer Washington’s defensive percentages against to be, Brooks chose the hide-your-eyes approach.
“Right now, I try not to look at our defensive numbers,” he said with a laugh.
The Wizards are 27th in defensive field goal percentage, allowing opponents to shoot 47 percent. Brooks would like that number to be closer to 43 or 44 percent. They are 27th in opponent’s 3-point percentage. Allowing opponents to shoot 37.1 percent from behind the 3-point line is a notable ill when a team is about to play the Rockets. No team has attempted more 3-pointers this season. No team has made more.
Washington has resurfaced in the playoff race because of eight consecutive home wins. On the road, it has struggled throughout the season, compiling a 3-10 record. To improve that mark, the Wizards will have to find a plan to deal with Harden. No one else has been able to.
• Todd Dybas can be reached at tdybas@washingtontimes.com.
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