NBA 2018-19: 3 Talking Points from the Houston Rockets' blowout win over the Cleveland Cavaliers

#3 The Rockets are back and are making a strong case for being legitimate West contenders

The Beard has carried the Rockets in the absence of major names.

The Houston Rockets had a sluggish start to their 2018-19 campaign as they fell to 11-14 across the first 25 games. But then, the reigning MVP took charge of things, and they look like a completely resurgent squad now altogether.

From grazing the bottom of the Southwest Division to winning eight out of their last ten games, the Rockets have made exponential progress. With prominent names like Chris Paul(strained left hamstring) and Eric Gordon(knee) unavailable, Harden's participation in the recent Houston surge has been one for the ages.

But all this while, the generational talent and his squad knew what the task at hand was - to get back to the top seed in the Western Conference,

"I think we've all had that in the back of our mind. It was just a far reach earlier in the season," Harden said. "Now it's pretty close. We've just got to continue to do what we've been doing. Playing well, taking care of opportunities like this tonight. Just continue to get better, strive to get better."