HOUSTON – James Harden's whirling, reverse bunny-hop jumper over Andre Iguodala only extended the inevitable by at least one more game – or however long it takes before Stephen Curry makes his return to the postseason. The Houston Rockets are on borrowed time, but in a better place than they would've been had they not shown any pride or revealed a pulse against the currently Curry-less Golden State Warriors.

The Rockets' 97-96 victory Thursday induced brow-wiping relief rather than chest-bumping enthusiasm. On the bench, Clint Capela was the only player excitedly hopping up and down. Dwight Howard – hands resting in his shooting shirt like a quarterback using a heat pack on a cold afternoon – merely dropped a double-fisted pump after Harden’s game-winner. Terrence Jones glared stoically. Corey Brewer waited, then slowly applauded. Even Harden refrained from his boastful, pot-stirring routine and remained calm.

But anyone who interpreted the subdued reactions to handing Golden State just its 10th loss in 85 games this season as players being upset for not purchasing vacation travel insurance or locker room dissension, those perceptions – which became a trending topic on social media in the immediate aftermath – couldn't be more off-base. The Rockets were just a little frustrated that they closed Thursday’s game in the same haphazard fashion in which they scrambled to make the playoffs as an eighth seed – with no urgency and some harebrained play until, eventually, Harden bailed them all out.

"I didn't expect to get ourselves in that predicament, to be honest with you," Howard told The Vertical when asked about his immediate reaction to Harden's shot. "I'm just thankful that we were able to come out on top and never stopped playing."

Before returning home to the Toyota Center, the Rockets looked as if they were ready to be done playing with each other. They had lost the first two games by double digits despite Curry playing only two quarters. Curry angled for his return Thursday, so confident that he would play that he didn't pack a sport jacket to sit on the bench. But Warriors coach Steve Kerr announced 90 minutes before tip-off that Curry wouldn't play because of the same lower-body injury to either his right ankle or foot ("It's something down there," Kerr joked).

Curry's absence left the Rockets with two options: rollover against a lesser version of the Warriors and subject themselves to more scathing criticism about having already checked out on the season; or show some respect for the game, and themselves, and compete as if they care.

Harden made sure his teammates chose the latter to ensure that the season won't end Sunday at their house, no matter who suits up for Golden State. "The last shot was typical of what James does," Rockets interim coach J.B. Bickerstaff said. "The move, we've seen before. The finish, we've seen before. The holding the follow through, we've seen before. You do get spoiled by it at times but in these moments, the biggest of moments, you can't help but appreciate it."

The Rockets have dealt with problems of chemistry and confidence during a disappointing campaign in which the breaks that they caught last season, the urgency with which they played, suddenly disappeared. They weren’t necessarily at each other’s throats – mainly because the players are mostly non-confrontational – but they appeared disjointed and disinterested. The struggles became an indictment of Harden’s leadership or lack thereof. If the criticism stung, Harden mostly internalized it.

“You don’t hear nothing out of him. You just see him trying to get better, trying to make this team better,” Trevor Ariza told The Vertical. “He continues to come to work every day. Plays the same way. Plays hard every day. Puts in extra work.”

Houston had the kind of ragged, underachieving season many expected last season, when the Rockets lost Chandler Parsons, whiffed on Chris Bosh and Carmelo Anthony, and put more pressure on the quirky pair of Harden and Howard. Harden surprisingly stepped up, leading his team to the second-best record in the Western Conference despite Howard being in and out of the lineup with various ailments.

But after beating out Curry for the first MVP award voted on by the players last summer, Harden bathed in his own hype and nearly drowned. Without a summer spent competing for a gold medal with Team USA, Harden was instead keeping up with the Kardashians and arrived in training camp out of shape. The team sputtered while he attempted to regain his rhythm. By the time Harden did, former coach Kevin McHale was canned. Harden’s lack of cohesion with Howard – in the third year of their union – became more apparent with each failed lob connection or on-court argument. Soon, with Howard expected to leave as a free agent this summer, that won’t be a concern for either player.

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