Harden ‘excited’ for return to Houston

Nets star James Harden gave an MVP-level performance Monday in San Antonio. That was just the warm-up, with the former MVP making his highly anticipated return to Houston on Wednesday.

“Yeah, I’m excited just to go back to Houston where I basically had an unbelievable career there,” Harden said. “They showed me mad love and respect and I am just excited to be playing in front of those fans.

Yeah, I’m pretty excited.”

Harden won the past three scoring titles with the Rockets and challenged Golden State’s dominance in the West, playing under current Nets assistant Mike D’Antoni. But after the team flamed out of the playoffs and he forced a trade to Brooklyn in January, now he heads back for the first time.

“[My] time there was great,” Harden said. “Obviously we came up short to win a championship or even a Finals, but just the work that I put in, hopefully those fans appreciated everything that I’ve done on the court and off the court and I’m still continuing to do off the court because that’s a place that I call home.”

➤ Nic Claxton finished with a career-high 17 points in 17 minutes for a breakout performance. He shot 7 of 9 from the floor, had three blocks and shook off not only having his left ankle rolled on but a shot to the face.

“Feel good. Back in the trenches honestly, get a little nicked up and keep playing, feels good. Take care of my body and I’ll be ready when we play Houston,” said Claxton after just his fourth game of the season.