James Harden’s free throws sink Charlotte Hornets in Houston

Before Monday’s game against the Houston Rockets, Charlotte Hornets coach Steve Clifford said the last thing his team could afford was sending James Harden to the foul line 15 times.

It ended up at 19 free throw tries for the Rockets superstar shooting guard. He made 16 of them, including a three-point play off a foul by Marvin Williams late in a 102-95 Houston victory.

The Hornets struggled offensively, but they tied the game late on a layup by Cody Zeller off a feed from Jeremy Lin. Then came the drive by Harden (36 points). Kemba Walker found Zeller next for a dunk attempt, but it banged off the rim. Rockets point guard Patrick Beverley made two free throws with 23 seconds left to make it a two-possession lead.

The Hornets fell to 15-12 overall and 4-8 on the road. The Rockets improved to 15-14.

Three who mattered

Harden: He had nine free throw attempts in the first half alone. He was primarily responsible for Jeremy Lin playing three minutes of the first half (three fouls).

Dwight Howard: Counting personal fouls, a technical foul and a delay-of-game, he had a frustrating night.

Walker: He did what he could to keep this one close after Lin got in immediate foul trouble.

Observations

▪  Harden showed up at Toyota Center Monday wearing a Manchester United jersey. Hornets coach Steve Clifford, a huge Man U fan, walked over and applauded Harden’s clothing choice.

▪  Clifford mentioned that he spent some time with Carolina Panthers coach Ron Rivera last summer, comparing philosophies. Clifford asked Rivera about the Panthers’ success minimizing turnovers. Rivera said he emphasizes individual responsibility for ball security.

▪  Clifford said when the Hornets’ turnovers pile up, it’s usually out of pick-and-roll plays. There’s only so much you can do about that, Clifford said, because if the passer slows down what he’s doing, the defense catches up and contests what would be open shots. In other words, there’s a risk-reward element to, for instance, how Nic Batum plays.

▪  Center Al Jefferson will miss the home game against the Boston Celtics Wednesday to complete his five-game suspension, then be eligible versus the Memphis Grizzlies Saturday.

▪  Houston interim coach J.B. Bickerstaff said his father, former Charlotte Bobcats coach-general manager Bernie Bickerstaff, calls or texts him with ideas or observations every day.

Worth mentioning

▪  Walker, Nic Batum and Steve Clifford were all assessed technical fouls.

▪  The Hornets new Development League affiliate, which will be based on Greensboro, will announce its name and logo design Dec. 29.

▪  After committing 18 turnovers in Washington Saturday the Hornets limited their giveaways to five in the first half.

Report card

C- OFFENSE: The 3-point shooting was a big problem as the Hornets missed numerous open looks.

B- DEFENSE: The Rockets scored plenty in the lane even with Dwight Howard fouling out.

B COACHING: The Hornets cleaned up their turnover problem from Washington, but couldn’t stop fouling Harden.

This story was originally published December 21, 2015 at 10:45 PM with the headline "James Harden’s free throws sink Charlotte Hornets in Houston."