Harden after scoring 44 in loss: ‘I know what I’m capable of ’
The Houston Rockets star missed the beginning of training camp. He would have missed the Rockets’ season opener had the NBA not postponed the game because of a lack of available players.
But despite those circumstances, James Harden showed for at least one night why he remains worth the Rockets’ headache. Though the Rockets finished with a 128-126 overtime loss to the Portland Trail Blazers on Saturday, Harden finished with 44 points while shooting 12-of-22 from the field, 6-of-13 from 3-point range and 14-of-16 from the free-throw line. He also matched his career high with 17 assists (17).
“I didn’t surprise myself at all,” Harden said. “I know what I’m capable of.”
Fair enough.
Harden has recorded 44 career 40point double-doubles. This marked his eighth 40-point game against Portland, which broke a tie with Kareem AbdulJabbar and Larry Bird for most 40point games against the Trail Blazers franchise.
But Harden faulted his four turnovers and admitted he needs to improve his conditioning after logging 43 minutes. He also conceded he will watch game footage of the Rockets’ final play that ended with him making a pass that ended in a turnover.
Still, the Rockets entered Saturday’s game without point guard John Wall, center Demarcus Cousins, guard Eric Gordon and guard Mason Jones because of the NBA”S contract tracing procedures under its COVID-19 protocols. Harden would have missed the Rockets’ scheduled season opener against Oklahoma City after violating the league’s safety protocols before the NBA ultimately postponed it.
“There’s never an NBA game where there isn’t a moment where you’re just like, ‘Wow, I can’t believe that just happened,’ “Rockets coach Stephen Silas said. “He did it like three or four times tonight with his step-backs and the plays that he makes and the things that does, even in the huddle with how smart he is. There’s a lot to him that’s really good. He showed a lot tonight.”
Harden made a 26-foot step-back to tie the game at 123 with 38.9 seconds left in overtime. Following Damian Lillard’s reverse layup, Harden made a 25foot step-back for a 126-125 cushion with 15.3 seconds remaining. C.J. Mccollum responded with a 3-pointer that gave Portland a 128-126 lead with 6.9 seconds left. Silas said he drew up a play for Harden to run in isolation, but he passed up a shot and made a pass toward P.J. Tucker instead. Blazers defender Robert Covington stole Harden’s pass, though, to seal the Portland win.
“I was trying to make a quick decision. When I got in the paint, they did a pretty good job in using their hot hands,” Harden said. “It would’ve been a tough shot to shoot over a couple of guys, which I could have. But I’ll watch the film and get better at it.”