Against a Houston Rockets team that was playing without Russell Westbrook, James Harden played 33 minutes, as did RJ Barrett for the New York Knicks. The absences of Frank Ntilikina and Elfrid Payton were also a blessing in disguise.
We had a chance to see what Dennis Smith Jr. could do when he isn’t looking sides from the bench.
Overall Dennis Smith Jr had a good game. His quickness and low center of gravity took Harden out of his ‘shake and bake’ play style. Smith stripped him once and consistently got his hands on Harden’s low dribbles when the two were face up ending the game with 7 steals.