You don't need rocket science to know that the Houston Rockets have a few elite scorers in their arsenal. Aside from having two former MVPs in their lineup in James Harden and Russell Westbrook, they also have a bunch of guys in their roster that can easily light up the scoreboard at any given night. And that's exactly what happened Sunday night against the Sacramento Kings.
With Westbrook taking the night off, Austin Rivers stepped up and had himself a career night. But if you ask the 28-year old, nights like this don't surprise him one bit.
Austin Rivers after putting up 41: “I believe I’m a premier scorer. But I play with the best scorer in the NBA. I play with one of the best scorers in the NBA. With Russell and James, you got to play a role. That’s what I do. But make no mistake; I know I can score the ball.”
— Jonathan Feigen (@Jonathan_Feigen) August 10, 2020
Austin Rivers dropped 41 points tonight which was his highest total in his eight-year career in the NBA. He shot 14/20 from the field (including 6 out of 11 makes from three-point territory) and added six rebounds and four assists in 33 minutes off the bench. Per the Duke alum, he has zero doubt in his ability to put the ball in the rim and we've seen signs of this every now and then when given the opportunity.
Rivers is playing his second season as a Houston reserve and with the Rockets trading for Westbrook prior to this season, his minutes definitely took a hit. But, Rivers is slowly settling in with his reserve role, and given that the Rockets continue to navigate through this season with their super small ball line-ups, it's clear that he will continuously have a chance to impress us all with terrific shooting nights like this.
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