By the Numbers: Houston Take Down Hornets for 11th Straight Win

The Rockets are now 12-0 with Chris Paul in the line-up

While the rest of the NBA are hyped about the Cleveland Cavaliers' recently rediscovered dominance that was also recently ended by the Indiana Pacers, one team from the Western Conference is also on a streak of their own as they have just nabbed their 11th win in 11 games. 

That team is none other than the West-leading Houston Rockets. 

This is after the Rockets- at one point only leading by a point, went on to score game's next 25 points- a scoring run that went between the end of the 1st quarter and the early goings of the second, en route to another dominant win over the Charlotte Hornets, 108-96. 

So what enabled the Rockets to keep their winning streak alive? Below are the numbers:

The Chris Paul Effect

As mentioned above, the Rockets have yet to lose a game this season when Chris Paul is in the lineup and IS PLAYING. And he made sure that his presence was felt all throughout. Against the Hornets, CP3 played one of his best games this season, leading the Rockets with his 31 points, 7 rebounds and 11 assists. Having a guy like  Chris Paul helped the Rockets in a game that saw James Harden only scoring 21 points on 8 for 22 field goal shooting. 

Defense in Threes

Sure, the Rockets were shooting 37% from beyond the three-point line but they also forced Charlotte to only make 19% of their attempts from downtown. That's a big difference, folks. The Rockets also limited the Hornets' three-point attempts to 21- where Charlotte only made 4. On the other hand, Houston attempted 45 tries from deep, making 17 of them. Now, who said Houston cannot defend?

Conclusion

This win enabled the Rockets to win their season series against the Hornets at 2-0. Their next game? Kawhi Leonard and the San Antonio Spurs. Are going to in? Yes. 

Why?

Chirs Paul is why.