Around the league: Harden still going hard
What Houston’s James Harden is doing is almost beyond comprehension.
His latest triple double — 44 points, 15 assists and 10 rebounds in a 135-134 win over Golden State on Thursday — finished with an improbable three-pointer at the overtime buzzer, with two defenders in his face and one fouling him. But it wasn’t unexpected. Harden has scored more than 40 points in each of his last five games and is averaging more than 40 over his last 11 as the Rockets are moving back into Western Conference contention (fourth in the West through Thursday), even without the injured Chris Paul.
“I’ve run out of things to say,” Houston coach Mike D’Antoni said.
One more look back: A couple more esoteric notes about the DeMar DeRozan triple double on Thursday that you might have heard about.
According to one of the deeper stats staffs out there, he became the second player in NBA history with a 20-point triple double in his first game against a former team, according to Elias, joining Chicago’s Guy Rodgers on Oct. 18, 1966, against the Golden State Warriors.
Still working things out: It was always going to be a bit of a gamble, adding a forceful personality like Jimmy Butler to a Philadelphia 76ers roster that already included the strong-willed Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons, not to mention coach Brett Brown.
Friday, a story surfaced from ESPN that Butler has met with Brown and general manager Elton Brand to voice displeasure with his role in the team’s offence, the first sign of true discord with the Sixers since the trade.
Philadelphia is playing well enough — still fourth in the East heading into Friday games — but any chemistry issues between the top three players aren’t going to make for long-term harmony.
Murray’s red hot, too: The Denver Nuggets just keep plodding along at the top of the Western Conference, leading it with a 25-11 record going into Friday play that includes eight wins in their last 10 games.
A key reason? The play of Kitchener native Jamal Murray.
The 21-year-old, third-year point guard has been on a wonderful stretch. In his last four games, all Denver wins, Murray has averaged 30.3 points per game, 5.5 assists and 5.5 rebounds, while shooting a shocking 57 per cent from three-point range.
He will get solid consideration from coaches to make it to his first all-star game, without doubt.
Still on the shelf: The Los Angeles Lakers are going to have to do without LeBron James for another week or so.
James will not travel with the Lakers for a two-game road trip to Minnesota and Dallas on the weekend, he will be reevaluated next Friday, which also takes him out of a home game next Wednesday.
James is undergoing treatment for a strained groin he suffered in a Christmas Day game against Golden State.
Going into a home game on Friday against the New York Knicks, the Lakers had gone 1-3 without James, dropping to eighth place in the Western Conference standings.