Wednesday night in Toyota Center was probably one of the most anticipated nights of the season for the Houston Rockets. Former franchise star James Harden has obviously already returned to Houston to play the Rockets, but this felt more like a real return than before. In March of last year, it had been only two months since the trade and Houston was scrambling to figure out how to maneuver their rebuild.

This time, it had been a proper 10 months since the trade and both sides have gotten acquainted with their situation. Let's see what the important takeaways for this game were.

Rockets Takeaways

1. Most Rockets fans still like James Harden

It's only been 10 months, so I'm sure most of the people reading this probably remember how hostile James Harden's exodus from the Rockets was. In terms of ugly NBA breakups, this one's right up there with Vince Carter and the Raptors in terms of how Harden conducted himself in order to force the organization's hand at a trade. It would be totally understandable if the fanbase soured on him, even if he did give the franchise eight awesome years of his prime.

However, the vibe you got from diehard Rockets fans online wasn't as split as people as people made it out to be: most still liked James Harden. There was a maturity and understanding there that a lot of times doesn't exist when a player decides to leave a certain team. And walking around the Toyota Center pre-game, I got the same sense: fans came to appreciate Harden, root for the Rockets to win, and enjoy themselves. There wasn't much hostility in that building.

And it played out that way throughout the night. During player intros, Harden got a positive reception with a small smattering of boos. When he touched the ball during the game, the crowd shifted gears into booing him, but it wasn't anything crazy. In fact, it almost felt like they were doing so out of obligation rather than actual venom. It felt like they were doing it because that's what you did, not because they disliked Harden. Perhaps I'm making too much of anecdotal evidence and there were people in that arena that hated Harden's guts, but what I'm telling you is that if they existed, they didn't really make their presence known.

2. Garrison Mathews: First Team All-Two-Way?

The only player that's endeared himself to Rockets fans quicker than Garrison Mathews over the last twenty years is Patrick Beverley. His story is incredible, the fact that he was available for a two-way deal is jaw-dropping, and he's been a major reason the Rockets are on this winning streak. A major reason Houston's offense has taken a big step up is because of the shooting they gained when Mathews was added to the starting lineup.

“Garrison Mathews continues to show up for us,” said Christian Wood after the game, unprompted by any question about Mathews. “The steal on James [Harden] and the three. He just has to keep playing and shooting the ball like he's doing.”

The possessions Mathews had to end the fourth quarter were kind of a fever dream. He was just playing both ends of the floor on another level. He got two steals on James Harden (one of them coming out of completely nowhere), he was a factor in transition, and he hit big shots down the stretch. Fans showed their appreciation by giving him ‘M-V-P' chants at the free throw line after his two consecutive steals on Harden.

 

3. Josh Christopher had a perfect birthday

Rockets rookie Josh Christopher turned 20-years-old today and by his own admission, this was the best birthday he's ever had. With Kevin Porter Jr., Jalen Green, and Danuel House out, the Rockets turned to Christopher to play major minutes for them in this game and he absolutely delivered, scoring 18 points on 7 of 7 shooting from the field and 4 of 4 shooting from three-point range. He really did a good job disrupting Harden as a defender and he operated as a ball handler when Houston needed him to do so.

“Being on the floor with him is amazing, obviously,” said Christopher on competing against his fellow Arizona State alum. “When I first got drafted here, [Rafael] Stone told me I was going to guard the best players. So, I'm up for that challenge. I would've wanted to take that challenge anyways.”