eep saying they mustnt go off the road, I promise they wont, Ecclestone is quoted as saying by

HOUSTON -- In the postgame locker room after the Houston Rockets 126-109 victory over the Portland Trail Blazers on Thursday night, James Harden teased teammates, laughed about excess shower water caught in his beard and joked with reporters.It was a stark contrast from the more solemn and stern version of Harden from last season.Ive been having fun all year, even in games we lose, Harden said. This is a special group of guys, coaching staff included, and this locker room is definitely enjoying this ride right now.Harden had 26 points, 14 assists and 12 rebounds for his third triple-double of the season to help the Rockets overwhelm the Trail Blazers in their highest-scoring game of the season.Harden completed the triple-double in the third quarter. The Rockets rebounded a night after scoring just three points in the final 6 minutes of a 105-103 loss in Oklahoma City.Its the chemistry, Rockets coach Mike DAntoni said. Everybody is feeling good about themselves. Were going to make mistakes, and we still have some improving to do, but as long as they come with that attitude every day and work at it and fix their mistakes, good things will happen.C.J. McCollum led Portland with 26 points, Maurice Harkless had 19, and Damian Lillard 18, his second-lowest output of the season.We kind of suck right now -- its that simple, Lillard said. Were usually a pretty good offensive team. Weve been bad on offense and bad on defense. Were trying hard, but were not making the smartest plays -- just not good enough. Were not very good right now.Blazers coach Terry Stotts was much less harsh in his assessment of his teams second straight loss. Portland outscored Houston by a combined 12 points in the second and fourth quarters but was ultimately doomed by a 29-point deficit in the first and third quarters.The game was tied at 62 at halftime, but Houston took a 100-83 lead into the fourth quarter.Theyre very good at what they do and Harden is key to that, Stotts said. Houston is a very good offensive team -- its a challenge to guard them.Rockets point guard Patrick Beverley made his season debut after missing the first 11 games following arthroscopic surgery on his left knee. Limited to 25 minutes, Beverley had 11 points, three assists and three blocks.Our defense is getting a lot better with him out there because of his toughness, DAntoni said about Beverley. He is smart and plays with an edge. Youve got to have that.Playing without backup center Nene, Houston frequently featured smaller lineups with Montrezl Harrell filling in with interior defense while starting center Clint Capela was on the bench. Capela had 15 points, seven rebounds and two blocks, while Harrell added nine points and eight rebounds off the bench.TIP-INSTrail Blazers: McCollum made his first six field-goal attempts and had 19 points at the half. ... Portland was outrebounded 54-41 and outscored 56-48 in the paint. ... Mason Plumlee had eight rebounds and seven assists. ... Al-Farouq Aminu (calf) missed his fifth straight game.Rockets: Despite posting a season-high 41 points in the first quarter, Houston was scoreless for the first 2 minutes. ... In the second game of a back-to-back veteran center Nene was given the night off for rest. ... Houston made 14 of 32 3-pointers (43.8 percent).BEVERLEYS NEW LOOKIn his season debut, Beverley sported a shorter haircut and a slightly leaner frame than he did at the end of last season.Losing a lot of weight really helped me change my body, Beverley said. I felt strong, I felt fast and my wind is going to come. I felt really good and felt confident, too.WHOSE HOUSE? COOGS HOUSEThe Toyota Center crowd erupted for the loudest ovation of the game early in the fourth quarter when highlights from the University of Houstons Thursday night game against No. 8 Louisville were shown on the videoboard alongside an up-to-date score showing the Cougars up 31-0. The games were played simultaneously three miles apart.UP NEXTTrail Blazers: Travel to New Orleans on Friday night.Rockets: Host Utah on Saturday night. Stitched USWNT Jerseys . Vettel, who has already clinched his fourth straight F1 title, enters the finale with a chance to equal Michael Schumachers 13 victories in a year and match the record of nine consecutive wins by Alberto Ascari in the 1952 and 1953 seasons. Custom USWNT Jerseys . -- There were so many positives from the Orlando Magics first victory of the season that it was hard for coach Jacque Vaughn to stop praising his players. https://www.cheapuswnt.com/ . Duchene scored two goals and had an assist, helping the Colorado Avalanche beat the Carolina Hurricanes 4-2 on Friday night to match the best 10-game start in team history. Wholesale USWNT Jerseys . -- Chicago Bears cornerback Tim Jennings was selected Monday to his second straight Pro Bowl, while guard Kyle Long made it after a solid rookie season. USWNT Jerseys 2021 . Varlamov made 33 saves and Ryan OReilly had a goal and scored in the shootout as the Avalanche beat the New Jersey Devils 2-1 on Thursday night. Formula One boss Bernie Ecclestone has suggested the sport artificially reintroduce a bit of the risk factor by building walls around corners to prevent drivers going wide.The FIAs safety push is currently stronger than ever, with the controversial Halo device still slated for introduction in 2018 despite being abandoned for implementation next year. The Grand Prix Drivers Association has been at the forefront of that push following the death of Jules Bianchi last year from injuries sustained at the 2014 Japanese Grand Prix.Ecclestone thinks races are now in danger of appearing too safe and has suggested a way to rectify that perception.Ive been criticized probably by everybody because I wanted to build 40cm walls around the corners. They keep saying they mustnt go off the road, I promise they wont, Ecclestone is quoted as saying by Reuters..ddddddddddddIn [the old] days, and it cant happen again, people would come to a race and think somebody could get killed. Today they know they come to a race and nobody is going to get killed. Which is good.Ecclestone also thinks F1 should add some drama after accidents to keep audiences guessing whether the driver is injured, using Fernando Alonsos violent shunt in Australia as an example.What Fernando had in Australia ... you wouldnt think he was going to walk away. What we ought to do immediately after that happens is have big sheets all the way around, bring the ambulance in ... and take him away. Hes gone to the hospital and later on you announce that, thank God, hes out. A bit of showbiz. People like that. ' ' '