With Chris Paul and James Harden in the same backcourt the Rockets are one of the toughest teams to beat in basketball with a 37-13 record, but when those two guards are playing with center Clint Capela, they're almost unbeatable.
Houston dropped the Spurs 102-91 on the road Thursday and they are now 21-1 with Harden, Paul and Capela in the lineup. Capela (13 points, 14 rebounds) and Harden (28 points, 11 assists) both posted double-doubles in the win while Paul scored 10.
Paul came back after missing the Rockets' win over the Magic earlier this week with a groin injury and he was far from 100 percent. He actually thought he was hurting the team down the stretch.
"I told (coach Mike D'Antoni) I was tripping," Paul told the Houston Chronicle after the game. "It was my fault they were coming back. All game I wasn't really trusting what I had going on. I was like, 'That's enough."
Despite Paul's less-than-perfect performance the Rockets were still able to hold off a very good, if shorthanded, Spurs team. They have now won three games in a row and seven of their last eight.
Studs of the Night
Timberwolves center Karl-Anthony Towns scored 24 points on 10-of-13 shooting in addition to 11 rebounds in Minnesota's 108-89 win over the Bucks.
Kyle Lowry scored a game-high 29 points with five rebounds, five assists and three steals, but the Raptors fell to the Wizards 122-119.
Dud of the Night
Grizzlies forward Wayne Selden scored just seven points on 2-of-9 shooting with more turnovers (3) than field goals made in Memphis' 104-102 loss to the Pistons.
Highlights
Nuggets guard Jamal Murray showed why centers should never attempt to guard him on the perimeter.
🕺Jamal Murray! 🕺
— NBA (@NBA) February 2, 2018
Watch now on @NBAonTNT pic.twitter.com/NDwo6weX4q
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What's next
Heat (29-22) at 76ers (24-24) 8 p.m. ET — Goran Dragic got the nod to replace Kevin Love in the All-Star game. Ben Simmons would have loved to make the team as a rookie. The two match up on the court in Philadelphia Friday. Also, they're both left-handed so that's a unique thing one doesn't see every day, either.