The Houston Rockets seem to have put behind all the chaos from the James Harden trade saga behind them now. They beat the Portland Trail Blazers 104-101 on Thursday night for their fourth straight win. Their record after trading away their perennial superstar is 5-3.

Since before Harden even left, recent trade acquisition John Wall became the leader of the H-Town. And he led from the front against the Blazers as well, with 20 points, 5 rebounds, and 6 assists. After the game, he was asked to explain the reason for their recent upturn in form.

He did not waste the opportunity to take a thinly veiled parting shot at James Harden without actually naming him and said, “The team wasn’t where we wanted to be and we had people that didn’t want to be here. So it’s kind of hard to play through that. Once the trade happened, we got the team that we wanted and guys that wanted to be here.”

This isn’t the first time that Wall has made an indirect remark at Harden. The Beard did not leave the Rockets on the best of terms, describing their situation as unsalvageable in the post-match press conference after the back-to-back defeats against the Los Angeles Lakers.

Houston Rockets’ WOW (Wall, Oladipo, Wood) factor driving them to the playoffs

The Rockets’ most recent win now places them tenth in the Western Conference Table with a belief that they are now in playoff contention. It was an unimaginable scenario for them just a couple of weeks ago.

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But their three new recruits from the trade window are emerging as their saviors. While Wall chipped in with 20 points, Wood and Oladipo joined the party with 22 and 25 points, respectively. Also, the team looks like a more cohesive defensive unit now with the trio.

Christian Wood has been an absolute steal by the front office after joining in the free agency period. He deserves an All-Star nod this season while Wall and Oladipo are returning to that level.

Now that the gloomy cloud of Harden has left, things are looking bright and positive for the Houston Rockets. Reaching the Playoffs would be an astonishing achievement, but one that will simply be a culmination of their tenacity and mental strength as a unit.

WATCH: How a Beardless James Harden was Hyped up Before His Draft Night in 2009