Harden & Co. hope to heal with break, game vs. Suns
PHOENIX — The Rockets arrived in the Valley of the Sun for a day of rest and a chance to get well after losing at Golden State on Friday night.
But the healing that could be more valuable than a chance to end a three-game losing streak against the woeful Suns might be any health benefits that can found for James Harden’s sore left wrist and Pat Beverley’s turned right ankle.
The Rockets will take what they can get. The losing streak is their longest of the season, with each defeat coming after fourthquarter lapses and with Harden’s shooting touch seemingly taken by the pain in his wrist or the loss of rhythm as he tried to play through the pain.
He presumably was not damaged by taking a punch from the Warriors’ Draymond Green, who said he punched Harden on his sore wrist because Harden pinched him.
Asked again if he might take a game off to rest or just to take his wrist out of harm’s way, Harden replied with a simple “no.” When asked if his 4-of-18 shooting in the 107-98 loss at Golden State was at least due in part to his playing through pain, Harden left it at, “I’ll be all right.”
The Rockets said the same for their play.
Break in the schedule
A game against the Suns, with a baby-faced starting lineup that seems more suited for the Final Four up the road in Glendale, will not offer the same sort of challenge as last week’s tests against Oklahoma City, Golden State (twice) and Portland. But the Rockets could use the game to get back on track.
The Rockets also need to officially lock up the third seed despite the longheld assumption they had secured their place ahead of Utah.
The Jazz are within four games of the Rockets and hold the tiebreaker. There does not appear to be much to gain because the firstround opponent is to be determined for whichever team is third or fourth and a potential second-round matchup likely would be against the Warriors or Spurs.
For the Rockets, the key has become to improve how well they are playing, rather than impact whom they will play in two weeks. But if they eased up emotionally when the chase for playoff positioning appeared all but done, they can at least consider that to be at stake again.
“I don’t want to oversimplify, but we’re stuck at third right now,” coach Mike D’Antoni said. “The guys aren’t crazy. They know that, and they don’t have that edge that other teams we’ve been playing have.
“It’s human nature. We can get better, and that’s how we’re using this time. We have to finish off third place. We’re not mathematically in. The biggest thing is make sure that we’re getting better the last (six) games until we get to the playoffs.”
The Rockets greatly improved defensively in their second game against the Warriors last week, largely by recapturing the intensity and precision they had lacked in the first quarter against the Warriors at Toyota Center and in the loss at Portland.
Offense hits skids
But offensively, the Rockets have fallen off considerably since their rout of the Thunder, which was fueled by their best shooting performance since the 1994-95 season.
In the three games since, the Rockets have averaged just 103.7 points on 39.9 percent shooting and 34 percent 3-point shooting.
Harden has made five of 31 3-pointers in the three games since his drive in the closing minutes of the victory over Oklahoma City when he braced himself on a fall and aggravated the wrist injury. And he has made 16 of 62 3-pointers since he initially was injured trying to block a shot by Mason Plumlee at Denver.
The notion Harden continued to play despite the wrist ailment to enhance his MVP candidacy was bogus. He admits he believes playing should be a consideration, but his determination to play every game always has been a priority of his. If he had wanted to improve his MVP case after the nationally televised victory over Russell Westbrook and the Thunder, he could have sat out rather than risk playing poorly because of his injury.
All eyes on Harden
The Rockets’ medical staff has assured D’Antoni that Harden cannot do further damage to the injury by playing and that there is enough time for him to be 100 percent before the playoffs begin.
Harden’s goal would seem to be to get his game back in shape. The Rockets should feel the same way, taking advantage of a late-season game against a team in the race for the Western Conference’s worst record.