Rockets fire head coach Kevin McHale

However, it’s not just Harden’s shooting, CBS reports that Harden and the rest of the Rockets have an effort problem.

Harden finished with 45 points and 11 assists, scoring 26 points in the fourth quarter and overtime to help the Rockets (5-7) snap a four-game losing streak in the debut of interim coach J.B. Bickerstaff, who replaced fired Kevin McHale.

“It’s about leadership. It’s about sacrifice”, Bickerstaff said of Harden. “Picking my energy up – tonight was the beginning of it”. It was Corey Brewer with the shot of the night, though, forcing overtime.

Unlike various times this season, the Rockets didn’t pack up and go home after falling behind – instead: battled back to make it a one-possession deficit with only seconds remaining…

Ainge did, however, offer some thoughts on the reported dynamics between McHale and some of the Rockets players. Interim coach J.B. Bickerstaff is the head coach right now (interim), and the team didn’t look much better.

“We’ve done this all year”, Ainge said. Guys communicated. We worked hard.

The Blazers dropped their seventh straight, their worst losing streak since closing 2012-13 on a 13-game skid.

Wednesday’s news that the University of North Dakota’s new nickname would be Fighting Hawks was greeted matter-of-factly by some UND players and coaches. Harden, however, blocked Lillard’s long 3-point attempt, sending the game to overtime.

The Mavericks’ forward spent the first three seasons of his National Basketball Association career in Houston under McHale and was stunned to hear that he had been fired.

“What happens in the room, stays in the room”, Dwight Howard said. “This was to try to get Ty on the floor more without James so the ball can be in (Harden’s) hands to make plays and see if we could get him more comfortable”. “Things aren’t going our way and we hang our head”.

“Since I’ve been here, the team has never played this badly”, said Rockets owner Leslie Alexander.

Blazers: PF Meyers Leonard missed his fifth consecutive game with a shoulder injury but participated in pregame workouts…. Trailing by three with clock running under 25 seconds, Allen Crabbe came away with a steal. Just recently, his former Celtic teammate – who is now the General Manager of the organization – offered McHale to a chance to have a homecoming to the team that molded him to his legendary status. 500 or a little over it after 82 regular season games isn’t enough to put a team in a playoff spot.

Houston Astros ace Dallas Keuchel, who was awarded the American League Cy Young Award on Wednesday evening, was in attendance.

So, did anything change in the hours after McHale was sacked?