Houston's fifth game in seven nights came after disastrous losses to San Antonio and OKC. Even James Harden's heroics couldn't overcome that reality.
The referees were not to blame. Yes, I said it.
Any sequence in Saturday night's loss to the Washington Wizards could have gone differently. Dwight Howard's ejection, James Harden's last drive or Josh Smith's put back a different outcome to any event could have resulted in a Rockets win instead of a 123 - 122 loss.
James Harden's 40 points were heroic, but the Houston defense failed the team once again. ESPN's Calvin Watkins reported the Rockets allowed Washington to attempt 53 uncontested shots.