The Rockets changed their starting lineup in a fifth consecutive game since the injury to Clint Capela, with newcomer Kenneth Faried starting two days after signing with the Rockets and Nenê getting a night off.
The changes, with Eric Gordon returning to the rotation in that stretch and Danuel House Jr. leaving the mix when he and the Rockets could not come to an agreement on a contract, have threatened continuity, but they did believe there is a way around that.
"When you have James (Harden) creating and we don't have a very complicated offense – we just stand and shoot a lot of 3s – everybody kind of knows their role," Rockets coach Mike D'Antoni said.