Problems have a tendency to disappear in the wake of victory. Just ask James Harden. The Rockets’ star went 0-of-11…
Problems have a tendency to disappear in the wake of victory. Just ask James Harden.
The Rockets’ star went 0-of-11 from 3-point range and shot just 5-of-21 from the field in Houston’s 98-94 win over the Warriors on Thursday night. Going back to the second quarter of Game 4, Harden has missed 20 consecutive 3-pointers. The response to his struggles?
“Who cares?” Harden asked, rhetorically, per ESPN.
“… I’m just missing shots. But we’re winning, and I’m trying to compete on the defensive end and do other things to help my team win. But if we’ve got a guy like Eric Gordon making shots and being aggressive, who cares?”
Harden, who is averaging 27.4 points in the series despite shooting an abysmal 24.5 percent from 3-point range, may have no choice but improve his shooting if the Rockets are to advance, though. Chris Paul’s status for a pivotal Game 6 is still unknown after the point guard suffered a hamstring injury in the late stages of Thursday’s game. Paul scored 20 points along with notching seven rebounds and six assists and was the catalyst for Houston’s second-half offense. If he’s absent from Game 6, the onus will be on Harden to carry an even bigger load than the All-Star normally does.
“Boy, he’s due, right?” Rockets coach Mike D’Antoni said. “Next game, he might make 10 straight, right? The thermostat will go off.”
