Harden questionable to face Mavericks with sore knee
DALLAS — James Harden was listed as questionable to play Sunday against the Mavericks with a sore left knee.
Harden, the NBA’s leading scorer with an average of 31.1 points per game, missed seven games in January with a strained hamstring. He had missed just three games in the previous three seasons combined.
Harden had 40 points Friday at Toronto but was tangled up with Raptors guard DeMar DeRozan on a play. He left with his right hand wrapped but indicated he was unconcerned with any injury to his hand.
Early defensive woes prove costly in loss
Although the Rockets came up empty on three of their final four possessions after a James Harden 3-pointer tied the game against the Raptors on Friday, they lamented their start to the game more than their finish.
The Rockets scored just 16 first-quarter points, their fewest of the season, and trailed by as many as 19 points late in the first half. They missed all five of their 3-pointers in the first quarter and were 1-of-9 on 3s in the half, often failing to match up defensively after missed shots. But though not as extreme as in Friday’s game, the early offensive struggles have been an issue in each of the first three games of their four-game trip.
“We didn’t match their intensity until late,” Harden said. “Our defense wasn’t aggressive enough early. They were just getting everything. We just fought an uphill battle.”
After the Rockets’ win in Milwaukee, coach Mike D’Antoni warned against accepting slow starts with the assumption that their improved defense will allow them enough time to pick up the pace. After the loss in Toronto, he cited the lack of early aggressiveness defensively.
“They just went full court, put their head own and went right to the rim,” D’Antoni said. “It was at least 10 to 15 points we didn’t turn around and play our guy.
“There were some things that we had to up our ante a little bit after the first quarter. We just were maybe surprised by the intensity or whatever. We didn’t quite come out with what we had to, but we had the last three quarters. So be it. Got to go back and get another streak.”
Harden: Paul can’t blame self for loss
When the Rockets’ 17-game winning streak ended Friday, Chris Paul said he has to do more, especially down the stretch, than he did against the Raptors, forcing the Rockets to rely too heavily on James Harden to carry them. He said that, more than anything, “frustrated” him about the loss.
Harden, however, said Paul should not blame himself.
“We all have to be better,” he said. “It’s not Chris. It’s not me. It’s the entire team together. I turned the basketball over with less than a minute to go.”
Harden said there will be no let-up now that the Rockets do not have a winning streak to extend or whatever motivation the streak brought.
“We keep the pressure on,” Harden said. “We have a goal to reach. No matter who we play, just try to learn and not relax.”