Harden will see no reduction in minutes played each game

Coach Mike D’Antoni jumped in at the mention of the Rockets’ plan this season to trim James Harden’s minutes.

“That went out the window,” he said, knowing that with Chris Paul out, Harden will likely stay on the floor for roughly 36 minutes per night.

The exception, D’Antoni hoped, would be if the Rockets can get enough of a fourth-quarter cushion to sit Harden for the final minutes, rather than play until the buzzer as he did in the first two games.

“We have to win games,” D’Antoni said. “We’ll monitor. It would be nice. We need to play in the sense he needs to sit the last five, six minutes. We need to knock people out. We didn’t against Sacramento. We had chances to. We can’t miss those chances because every two, three minutes are important as they accumulate through the year.”

D’Antoni had planned to sit Harden in the final two minutes of the first and third quarters, but Harden has preferred playing through the quarters before sitting.

“He likes that,” D’Antoni said. “We tried to experiment. He gave me the death stare and we went back. He’ll play the whole first quarter and then the last quarter, come out a little earlier so he can finish up the last eight minutes (of the game).

“He’s going to play 34 to 36 minutes. He’s 28 years old. If you look at most superstars around the league, they’re playing around 36 minutes. He can handle that.”

D’Antoni said he hoped to keep Eric Gordon, who moved to the starting lineup with Paul out, to about 32 minutes.

“We have to keep watching and talking to (trainer) Jason (Biles) and the staff,” D’Antoni said. ‘They tell me who is red-lining and try to back them off.”

Anderson copies ‘Dirk jumper’

Though it might have been down on his list of priorities, forward Ryan Anderson did hope to take a “Dirk jumper” against the move’s namesake Saturday.

It would not be his first of the season. Of Anderson’s seven field goals in the first two games of the season, five came from his customary spots beyond the 3-point line. But he also put in a lost-post, fadeaway jump shot with his right leg raised, a move made famous by the Mavericks’ Dirk Nowitzki.

“I don’t (expect) a lot of post-ups,” Anderson said. “If I get it in the post, that’s kind of a move for me that I may have taken from him. He’s a guy obviously I grew up loving his game and admiring the way he plays. We play somewhat similarly being stretch fours. He’s a guy I tried to model certain things after.

“He’s obviously a legend and a great player and a great guy. Definitely, a few things you have to take from some of the pros, guys that have done it a long time. He figured a way to score in a lot of different ways with his size and being a stretch four.”

Anderson averaged one shot out of the post every other game last season, half as many as the previous season when he was with the Pelicans.

“I used to shoot them a lot more in the post, but we don’t post up,” said Anderson, who scored three points on 1-for-4 shooting against the Mavs. “Shoot 3s. That’s the game plan.”

Jackson ready for playing time

The injury to Chris Paul not only moved Demetrius Jackson into the rotation as a backup point guard, it could have him on the Rio Grande Valley shuttle.

Because Jackson is on a two-way contract, he is limited to 45 days with the Rockets, with the rest of his time to be spent in the G League. The count begins with the start of Vipers camp Monday.

The Rockets could convert his contract to a full NBA contract and have the roster spot open. They intend to get a good look at Jackson with Paul out, with Jackson saying he felt better prepared for the role after playing Wednesday in Sacramento.

“Definitely, a different confidence level after going back, reviewing the film, trying to grow from the positive and the negative,” said Jackson, who played 17 minutes and scored four points against the Mavericks. “I definitely got some good looks. Just have to step up and knock those down.”

The Rockets have been encouraged by Jackson’s defense and poise as he fills in with a second unit otherwise filled with most of the veteran players.

“He’s solid,” guard James Harden said. “Defensively, he’s really good, especially with our scheme. Offensively, he’s going to run our offense and knock down shots. He’ll give us solid play and consistent play. That’s what we need from him.”

Jonathan Feigen