Rockets 114, Nets 104: Josh Christopher, Garrison Mathews snub James Harden’s return to Houston

Houston Rockets guard Josh Christopher is going to remember this birthday for a very long time. The 20-year-old rookie scored a career-high 18 points on a perfect 7 of 7 from the field with four threes to help the Rockets beat the Brooklyn Nets 114-104 Wednesday night at Toyota Center.

Christopher’s efforts were impressive, but he was a part of a long line of Rockets role players who shined in the victory. Eric Gordon stepped up with a team-high 21 points, while Garrison Mathews added 19 points of his own.

The Rockets dominated much of the game, taking a 15-point lead into halftime, but the Nets stayed in the game throughout and cut the deficit to four with 6:17 to go. Gordon was ejected from the game after picking up his second technical foul, and it appeared as if James Harden was going to work his magic and find a way to will his team to a win. However, it was Mathews, AKA Garry Bird, who scored nine points on an 11-3 run that put the Rockets ahead for good.

With the victory, the Rockets have now won seven in a row and have beaten Harden for the first time since he played with the Oklahoma City Thunder. The buzz behind the team continues to grow after every game and no matter how long the streak goes, it becomes more clear that the Rockets are growing each and every game.

The Rockets host the Milwaukee Bucks Friday night at Toyota Center. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. CT.