NBA: Harden fined $100,000 over Sixers no-play threat

LOS ANGELES -- Philadelphia 76ers star James Harden has been fined $100,000 by the NBA after vowing never to play for the team under general manager Daryl Morey, the league said Tuesday.

The league said in a statement it had fined Harden for indicating he would "not perform the services called for under his player contract" unless he was traded to another team.

In scathing remarks made during an event in China earlier this month, Harden, who has requested a trade from the club, branded Sixers boss Morey "a liar".

"Daryl Morey is a liar and I will never be a part of an organization that he's a part of," Harden said, before repeating the statement for emphasis.

Harden has said in subsequent media interviews that Morey had gone back on a promise to trade him quickly earlier in the off-season.

"I've been patient all summer," Harden said of his situation with the Sixers. "For me, it's just focus on what I can control and getting ready for this season."

The NBA said it had interviewed Harden as part of its investigation, and confirmed that the remarks "referenced Harden's belief that the 76ers would not accommodate his request to be traded".

The 33-year-old 10-time All-Star told the team in July that he wanted to be traded away from the franchise after joining from Brooklyn in February 2022.

Philadelphia hoped the addition of Harden last year would help the team finally challenge for an NBA championship.

However, the team led by reigning NBA Most Valuable Player Joel Embiid have stalled in the playoffs in the last two seasons, exiting in the Eastern Conference semifinals on each occasion.

Agence France-Presse

NBA: Harden vows not to play for 76ers under 'liar' GM

LOS ANGELES -- NBA star James Harden has said he will never play for the Philadelphia 76ers again while Daryl Morey remains the team's general manager.

In scathing comments which come with the 76ers and Harden locked in a contract standoff, the former NBA MVP said he could no longer be part of an organization that employed Morey.

"Daryl Morey is a liar and I will never be a part of an organization that he's a part of," Harden said at an event in China for sponsors Adidas.

"Let me say that again: Daryl Morey is a liar and I will never be a part of an organization that he's a part of."

The incendiary remarks highlight the increasingly acrimonious nature of Harden's contract negotiations with the 76ers.

The 33-year-old 10-time All-Star reportedly told the team last month that he wanted to be traded away from the franchise after joining from Brooklyn in February 2022.

US media reported on Saturday that the 76ers had shut down discussions with Harden over a trade and were expecting him to report to a training camp in September.

The Athletic website, citing sources close to Harden, said the player has no intention of taking part in pre-season training camp.

Philadelphia hoped the addition of Harden last year would help the team finally challenge for an NBA championship.

However, the team led by reigning NBA Most Valuable Player Joel Embiid have stalled in the playoffs in the last two seasons, exiting in the Eastern Conference semifinals on each occasion.

Agence France-Presse

Warriors prepare for rested James Harden, Rockets in West rematch

LOS ANGELES — After outlasting the no-name Los Angeles Clippers in six games, the Golden State Warriors have a superstar on their hands next.

James Harden and the Houston Rockets in a rematch of last year’s Western Conference finals. That’s when the Rockets let a 3-2 lead slip away and saw the Warriors go on to win their second straight NBA championship.

This time the teams meet in the West semifinals beginning Sunday in Oakland.

“We know them well,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr said Friday night after his team finished off the Clippers with a 129-110 victory to win the best-of-seven series 4-2. “They’re going to come after you and pick-and-roll. We know they’re already in the Bay waiting for us, so it will be a quick turnaround.”

Anticipating a Warriors’ closeout, the Rockets flew to Northern California on Friday to be ready for the series opener. They’ve been resting since Wednesday, when they defeated the Utah Jazz 4-1.

The Warriors were stretched to six games for the first time in the opening round in Kerr’s five seasons.

“One of the things that can happen during the playoffs is you can sharpen your game against an opponent that forces you to do so,” Kerr said. “We had leads in some games that we lost. Every time we thought, all right, we’ve got this, we didn’t have it.”

Kevin Durant had a statement game for the Warriors, scoring 38 of his playoff career-high 50 points in the first half at Staples Center. He was 15 of 26 from the floor, made 14 of 15 free throws and hit six 3-pointers.

Durant was coming off a 45-point performance in a losing effort in Game 5.

“No matter what anybody does, he can get a good shot,” Kerr said.

Harden averaged 27.8 points in the first round against the Jazz, but he struggled at times to get going offensively. His worst effort came in Game 3 when Houston won despite him missing his first 15 shots to set an NBA record for most misses to start a playoff game.

Durant believes Harden’s game is much more than drawing fouls and getting to the line.

“He can score in a variety of ways, so we have to be locked in from the beginning,” Durant said. “You can’t fully stop a guy like that; you’ve got to be ready to play him tough all game.”

Stephen Curry finished with 24 points, the only other Warrior with at least 20 Friday. Klay Thompson had nine points. Both of them were banged up slightly in the game, but Kerr said he’s hopeful they’ll both be good to go Sunday.

Draymond Green had his fifth career playoff triple-double of 16 points, 14 rebounds and 10 assists after not playing well in Game 5.

Warriors center Kevon Looney expects to see the Rockets employ some of the same defensive schemes used by the Clippers, who twice won in Oakland, including a 31-point comeback that was the biggest in NBA history.

“Defending the pick-and-roll is going to be huge,” Looney said. “The Clippers punched us in the mouth and woke us up. They showed us it’s not a cakewalk in the West. Every game is going to be hard.”

source: sports.inquirer.net

James Harden makes 8 3s as Rockets thump Kings

SACRAMENTO, California — James Harden and the Houston Rockets are finding their rhythm at the right time.

Looks as if some help is on the way, too.

Harden made eight 3-pointers and scored 36 points, helping Houston beat the Sacramento Kings 127-101 on Wednesday night.

“We played very, very well,” Harden said. “We’re kind of catching a momentum and it feels pretty good. It’s even more exciting once we get our full roster back.”

The Rockets closed out a four-game trip with their third consecutive victory, and they appeared to be on the verge of adding Iman Shumpert to their array of talented shooters. Gerald Green matched his season high with 25 points, and Eric Gordon scored 20 points.

Houston, Sacramento and Cleveland were working on a trade that most notably will move Shumpert from the Kings to the Rockets. Houston is sending Brandon Knight and Marquese Chriss to the Cavaliers. Alec Burks — now traded for the second time this season, after starting the year in Utah — will go from the Cavaliers to the Kings.

The people spoke on condition of anonymity because the NBA trade call has not yet been completed.

“Shump is a vet who can help us defensively, ball-handling, shooting,” Harden said. “He’s been playing very well this season. Once he gets here and gets a couple of practices in, let’s go.”

Houston has won seven games by 20 or more points this season, including twice on its road trip.

“That’s a good trip for us,” Chris Paul said. “To get three on this road trip, we’re playing the right way.”

Sacramento also was working on a trade for Dallas’ Harrison Barnes in another deal ahead of Thursday’s deadline.

The Kings had won three in a row and four of five. Buddy Hield had 20 points and 10 rebounds, and Marvin Bagley III added 10 points and 10 boards.

“Tough night,” coach Dave Joerger said. “We didn’t shoot the ball well, they did. It’s been a tough couple of hours and an interesting couple of hours.”

Sacramento kept Harden off the line, but the reigning NBA MVP still scored almost at will.

Harden collected 25 points while helping Houston to a 76-45 halftime lead. He made four 3-pointers during a 19-3 run over the final five minutes of the second quarter.

Harden — the NBA leader in average free-throw attempts — was limited to two, matching his season low. But he went 13 for 26 from the field.

“Guys set the tone early,” Rockets coach Mike D’Antoni said. “Pretty impressive finish of the road trip. There’s just a lot of good things that we did solid.”

Things got chippy midway through the fourth when Harden was called for a technical foul after he exchanged words with Sacramento’s Frank Mason near midcourt.

The Kings struggled to keep up. They trailed by as many as 37 in the second half.

TIP-INS

Rockets: Paul had 15 points and 11 assists. … Gordon returned to the lineup after sitting out Monday’s win over Phoenix because of right knee soreness. … Houston is 8-4 without Clint Capela, who is sidelined with a right thumb injury. 



Kings: Bogdan Bogdanovic scored 13 points while starting in place of Shumpert, who addressed his former Sacramento teammates in the locker room before the game and then left the arena. … Justin Jackson and Zach Randolph are reportedly being sent to Dallas as part of the trade for Barnes.

FARIED’S NIGHT

Kenneth Faried had 13 points and 11 rebounds for Houston. He has settled in nicely after signing with the Rockets as a free agent on Jan. 21.

He is averaging 16.1 points since joining his third team this season.

“It’s always nice to know that, yes, he is a perfect fit,” D’Antoni said. “When Clint gets back and (Faried) comes off the bench, he can give us that spurt that we can have 48 solid minutes of high-energy centers running up and down the floor.”

UP NEXT

Rockets: Host Oklahoma City on Saturday.

Kings: Host Miami on Friday.

source: sports.inquirer.net

James Harden’s 41 helps Rockets beat Thunder

HOUSTON (AP) — James Harden is on a roll and it’s helping the Houston Rockets get on track after their terrible start to the season.

Harden scored 41 points and the Rockets beat the Oklahoma City Thunder 113-109 on Tuesday for their seventh win in the last eight games.

Harden has scored 30 points or more in a career-high seven games in a row, marking the first time a player has done that since Russell Westbrook had eight consecutive 30-point games in November 2016. He has scored at least 35 in his last five, which is the longest such streak since Carmelo Anthony did it in six games in April 2013.

The Rockets won just one of their first six games this season and were 11-14 after a three-game skid in early December. Since then, powered by Harden’s dominance, Houston has lost just once to improve to 18-15 and move a season-high three games above .500.

“We’ve had that confidence all year,” Harden said. “Our record isn’t where we want it to be, but it’s getting there. And we’ve got to continue to work hard every day, continue to get better and grow. We’re preparing for a postseason. We’re not going to be at our tip top right now.”

A 3-pointer by Paul George with less than two minutes left got Oklahoma City within 4 before Harden missed a 3. Westbrook missed a shot for the Thunder, but George stole the ball from Harden and was fouled by him.

George made both free throws to get the Thunder within 2 with 43.6 seconds left. Harden then drove past George and into the lane for a layup to make it 112-108 with 20.4 seconds left.

Westbrook made 1 of 2 free throws to cut it to 3 with 15 seconds left, and Austin Rivers made a free throw with 7.4 seconds left to secure the win.

George had 28 points and 14 rebounds for the Thunder, and Westbrook added 21 points with nine rebounds and nine assists.

“We had some bad bounces which got them a couple of extra possessions which got them some open 3s,” George said.

Harden became the first player to score 40 or more points on Christmas since Kevin Durant had 44 for the Thunder in 2010. Harden’s latest big game came as the Rockets played without Chris Paul, who missed his second straight game with a strained left hamstring. The 9-time All-Star is out for at least the next two weeks with the injury suffered Thursday night.

“We’ve got a lot of guys playing at a high level right now,” coach Mike D’Antoni said. “So many guys contributed (Tuesday).

Clint Capela had 16 points and tied a season high with 23 rebounds.

The Rockets were up by 6 with about four minutes left when Rivers, whom they signed on Monday, hit a 3-pointer to make it 107-98.

Grant scored five straight points for the Thunder, highlighted by a 3-pointer, to get Oklahoma City to within 107-103, but Rivers made another 3 to push the lead to 7 with two minutes left.

“Everybody here has welcomed me so it has been a very easy transition,” Rivers said. “So my whole focus has just been to play hard and just try to help them in any way I can.”

Houston had a 1-point lead in the fourth when Harden re-entered the game and found Capela on consecutive possessions for dunks to make it 100-95. Eric Gordon had a layup seconds later to push the lead to 7.

Harden continued the run after the timeout with a driving jump shot before the Thunder scored their first basket in more than three minutes on a layup by Grant to cut the lead to 104-97.

The Thunder were up by 8 at halftime, but Houston scored the first eight points of the second half to tie it at 60 with about nine minutes remaining in the third quarter. Danuel House and P.J. Tucker made 3s in that stretch to lead the Rockets.

Oklahoma City was up by 2 later in the third when the Rockets scored five quick points with a 3 from Harden to take a 73-70 lead.

But George hit a 3 for the Thunder soon after that to tie it up again. That basket started a 10-2 run for Oklahoma City, which included another 3 from George that made it 80-75 with about three minutes left in the third.

Houston trailed by 4 after two free throws by George late in the third, but the Rockets scored the next six points, capped by a 3 from Harden, to take an 86-84 lead with less than a minute left in the quarter.

The Thunder led 88-86 entering the fourth.

TIP-INS

Thunder: Westbrook received a technical in the second quarter for yelling at an official when he thought he was fouled on a 3-point attempt. … Steven Adams had 17 points and seven rebounds. … The Thunder made nine of 30 3-pointers.

Rockets: Rivers scored 10 in his Houston debut. … James Ennis missed his seventh straight game with a strained right hamstring. … Gordon had 17 points.

THEY SAID IT

Capela on his big rebounding day: “I just told my teammates I had to make a statement that we are going to win the rebound battle.”

UP NEXT

Thunder: Visit Phoenix on Friday night.

Rockets: Host Boston on Thursday night.

source: sports.inquirer.net

Harden, Rockets trounce Bulls

HOUSTON — The Houston Rockets aren’t where they want to be, but are feeling much better after following a season-high four game skid with consecutive wins, capped by Saturday night’s victory over the Chicago Bulls.

James Harden made six 3-pointers and scored 30 points to help the Rockets down the Bulls 121-105.

The victory comes a night after the Rockets ended their losing streak with a win 136-105 win at San Antonio.

Now coach Mike D’Antoni is looking for his team to maintain this momentum on its upcoming three-game road trip.

“We need to go show everybody who we need to be,” D’Antoni said. “We may not be there yet but we’re getting there … we just need to go get some wins.”

Harden said health is the biggest reason why Houston has played better recently.

“It’s just having a full roster,” he said. “Chris (Paul), Gerald (Green) and Nene coming back in these last few games. Having a full roster and guys that can help each other out is key.”

Houston was up by 12 entering the fourth quarter and used a 13-7 run to start the period and make it 100-82 with 8½ minutes left. Eric Gordon made two 3-pointers in that stretch and P.J. Tucker added a three-point play. Chicago couldn’t cut into the lead after that and the Rockets were up by 20 with about three minutes left when D’Antoni cleared the bench.

Zach LaVine had 29 points for the Bulls, who lost their sixth straight game and for the 10th time in 11 games.

Chicago’s Lauri Markkanen had 10 points and four rebounds in his season debut after missing the team’s first 23 games with a sprained right elbow he sustained in training camp. He entered the game with about 4½ minutes left in the first quarter and played 26 minutes.

“I felt good and I had no problems with my elbow,” he said. “That’s a positive. I was just glad to be out there.”


Clint Capela added 18 points and 15 rebounds for Houston and Paul had 12 points and tied a season high with 13 assists in his second game back after missing three with a sore hamstring.

Houston led by 10 at halftime before the Bulls used a 12-6 run to open the third quarter and cut the lead to four. Parker led Chicago in that stretch, scoring eight points.

The Rockets got back on track after that, scoring the next five points to push the lead to 67-58 with about seven minutes left in the third.

“Coming out of the break, I thought we had great momentum in the second half, and they throw in a couple of bombs,” Chicago coach Fred Hoiberg said. “We have to keep fighting and work on being more consistent.”

Houston led by eight later in the third when Harden made a 3-pointer just before the shot clock expired to make it 74-63 with 4½ minutes left in the quarter.

The Bulls added a layup seconds after that, but Houston scored the next six points, capped by a 3 from Harden with Jabari Parker in his face to make it 80-65 about 90 seconds later.

LaVine scored all of Chicago’s points in a 7-2 run later in the third to cut the deficit, but Green made a 3-pointer with a few seconds left in the quarter to put Houston up 87-75 entering the fourth.

TIP-INS

Bulls: Hoiberg said that he will limit Markkanen’s minutes in his first games back. … LaVine has scored at least 20 points in 20 games this season. … Justin Holiday, who had 11 points, has made at least one 3-pointer in a franchise-record 35 straight games. … Parker finished with 21 points and 12 rebounds.

Rockets: Nene had 10 points and four rebounds in his season debut after missing Houston’s first 21 games with a strained right calf. … Harden has scored 30 points or more in six of the last eight games.

REMEMBERING BUSH

The Rockets played a video before the game and had a moment of silence for former President George H.W. Bush, who died on Friday night in Houston at 94. The video featured images of Bush sitting courtside at several games and posing for pictures with various former players and coaches.

UP NEXT

Bulls: Visit Indiana on Tuesday night.

Rockets: Visit Minnesota on Monday night.

source: sports.inquirer.net

Paul, Rockets roll past Spurs for 12th straight win

HOUSTON — Chris Paul had 28 points, eight assists and seven steals to lead the Houston Rockets to their 12th straight victory, a 124-109 win over the San Antonio Spurs on Friday night.

Paul became the first player in NBA history to post 28 points, eight assists and seven steals in a game against the Spurs. In the past 10 years, that stat line has been achieved just 10 times — Paul has done it six of those times. The Rockets are unbeaten when he plays this season.

Paul’s dazzling performance came on a night James Harden had one of his worst 3-point shooting nights of the season, making 6 of 18 from the field, including 2 of 11 from 3. Harden had 28 points, seven rebounds and six assists, scoring half his points on 14-of-16 shooting from the free-throw line.

The Rockets are on the fourth-longest win streak in franchise history and the longest since a franchise-best 22 straight in the 2007-08 season.

All Rockets starters and reserve Eric Gordon had scored in double figures by the end of the third quarter. Clint Capela had 18 points and 10 rebounds, Gordon scored 14 points, Ryan Anderson had 12, and Trevor Ariza added 11.

The Rockets beat the Spurs for just the third time in their last 12 meetings.

LaMarcus Aldridge led the Spurs with 16 points. Joffrey Lauvergne had 14, Patty Mills had 13 and Davis Bertans scored 12, all off the bench for San Antonio.

The Rockets jumped to a 31-16 lead at the end of the first quarter and led 60-43 at the half. The Rockets entered the fourth quarter with a 92-72 lead.

Kawhi Leonard played in his second game back after making his season debut on Tuesday night in Dallas after missing the first 27 games of the season with a right quadriceps injury. Leonard, who has been recovering from a quadriceps condition that causes pain and weakness in the knee, started and had 12 points in 17 minutes, all in the first half.

Before the game, Spurs coach Gregg Popovich hinted before the game that Leonard and Tony Parker were unlikely to play Saturday night in Dallas in the second half of San Antonio’s back-to-back.

TIP-INS

Spurs: SF Kyle Anderson missed his sixth straight game with a sprained left MCL, but he is progressing well and could return after San Antonio’s back-to-back in Houston and Dallas, possibly as early as Monday when the Spurs host the Clippers. … Danny Green started and played through left groin tightness, scoring two points in 19 minutes.

Rockets: Houston played its first game without Luc Mbah a Moute, who suffered a dislocated right shoulder on Wednesday night against Charlotte. Mbah a Moute could be out 2-3 weeks with the injury. … The Rockets improved to 19-1 when leading after the third quarter, winning by double digits for the 17th time in 27 games.

UP NEXT

Spurs: Host Dallas on Saturday night.

Rockets: Host Milwaukee on Saturday night.

source: sports.inquirer.net

Rockets drain record 24 3s in win over Pelicans

James Harden delivered his second straight triple double as the Houston Rockets made an NBA record 24 three pointers in a 122-100 victory over the New Orleans Pelicans on Friday.

The Rockets continued their record-setting ways this season, setting the single game mark for threes made and attempted (64).

Eric Gordon scored a season-high 29 points as the Rockets improved to 20-7 and extended their winning streak to nine games.

“I think it’ll happen again for sure,” Gordon said. “A lot of teams like to load up trying to not let us get layups and it forces us to shoot threes. It’s like, ‘Why not?’ I think we’ll have that chance again.”

Houston finished one three pointer shy of matching the old record of 23, which they shared with the Golden State Warriors, on Wednesday night in their 34-point win over the Sacramento Kings.

Houston had held the mark for three-pointers attempted (50), which they set in Sacramento on November 25.

Harden finished with 29 points, 11 rebounds and 13 assists to set a franchise record with his 15th triple-double.

Gordon shot 10 for 17 in 27 minutes off the bench, while forward Trevor Ariza finished with 20 points on five-for-14 three-point shooting.

Forward Anthony Davis led the Pelicans with 19 points despite playing just 22 minutes. Davis left in the third quarter with a left lower-leg contusion.

Former Rockets forward Terrence Jones came off the bench to score 16 points and eight rebounds for New Orleans, which has lost six of seven games against Houston.

“He just got kicked, and the game wasn’t in a position where I thought that it was worth the risk to put him back out there,” Pelicans coach Alvin Gentry said of Davis. “And we just weren’t going to do it.”

source: sports.inquirer.net

Harden leads Rockets rout of Lakers

HOUSTON — The Houston Rockets are certainly not where they want to be yet

However, they feel like they’re getting close.

They reached .500 on Saturday night with an easy 126-97 win over the Los Angeles Lakers behind 30 points from James Harden.

”We’ve come a long way,” interim coach J.B. Bickerstaff said. ”We’ve got to give guys credit for accepting responsibility of where we were and accepting responsibility and putting responsibility on themselves that they had to do something to change it.”

A 3-pointer by Nick Young with about seven minutes left got the Lakers within 11, but a 13-2 run by Houston pushed the lead to 115-93 and the Rockets cruised to the victory. Donatas Motiejunas, Harden and Patrick Beverley each made a 3-pointer to cap the key stretch.

Motiejunas had 11 points in his best game since returning from back surgery.

Kobe Bryant had 25 points, seven rebounds and six assists for the Lakers, who have lost six in a row and 13 of 14.

”It’s like my rhythm is starting to come back a little and my legs are moving pretty well,” Bryant said. ”I’m feeling good. I just worked and continued to run and lift and just hoping for the best.”

Despite Houston’s blowout win, the home crowd seemed to be filled with more Bryant fans than Rockets fans. They cheered loudly every time he touched the ball and chanted ”Kobe! Kobe! Kobe!” as the final seconds ticked away.

Bryant, who plans to retire after this season, stopped on his way off the court for a hug with former Rocket Steve Francis as the crowd continued to chant his name.

Harden wasn’t bothered by the outpouring for Bryant by the home crowd.

”He’s a legend,” Harden said. ”This is his last year. I was chanting his name, too. It’s a once in a lifetime chance that you’re going to see this guy play again. I haven’t had the chance to see Michael (Jordan) play in person, but he’s a modern Michael.”

The Rockets shot 52.2 percent (47 for 90) from the field and 15 for 33 from 3-point range, compared to 40 percent (35 for 88) for the Lakers and 10 for 32 from beyond the arc.

Houston led 63-46 at halftime and scored seven of the first nine points of the third quarter. Beverley’s layup made it 70-48 with 9:52 left.

Terrence Jones made a layup at the end of the third after Corey Brewer blocked a shot by Bryant, giving the Rockets a 91-76 advantage.

View gallery

HOUSTON, TX – DECEMBER 12: James Harden #13 of the Houston Rockets shoots the ball against the Los A …

Houston had a 52-29 lead in the first half when Bryant scored 11 points in a 13-0 run for Los Angeles. He made two 3-pointers in the surge and capped the run with three straight free throws after he was fouled by Harden.

Houston star Dwight Howard scored six straight points to end the first half, highlighted by a soaring, two-handed dunk after a steal.

TIP-INS

Lakers: G Jordan Clarkson missed his second straight game with a sprained right ankle. … The loss closed out an eight-game road trip, the team’s longest since a nine-game trip from Jan. 31, 2007, to Feb. 13, 2008. … Young finished with 13 points.

Rockets: Trevor Ariza was back in the starting lineup after missing Houston’s last game with a bruised lower back, which snapped a streak of 172 straight games played. … Ty Lawson was feeling better after recovering from the flu. … Howard had 18 points and 12 rebounds.

HARDEN’S TRIBUTE

Harden wanted to do something to honor Bryant on Saturday night, so he donned special shoes for the occasion.

”I even wore the first Kobe’s from Adidas tonight,” he said. ”Just to show how much I respect him and how much he’s done for the game of basketball.”

IMPRESSED BY BRYANT

Los Angeles coach Byron Scott was impressed with how well the 37-year-old Bryant played on Saturday night, considering it was the last game of a grueling road trip and the Lakers also played a game on Friday night.

”I have no idea,” Scott said when asked about how he did it. ”I swear to God, I wish I knew. We talked about that earlier that this was on a back-to-back game and he seems to play better, but I don’t understand it.”

UP NEXT

Lakers: Host Milwaukee on Tuesday.

Rockets: Visit Denver on Monday.


source: sports.inquirer.net

Harden hurt in Rockets rout of Grizzlies

MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Houston Rockets guard James Harden was listed as day-to-day after leaving Friday night’s preseason game against the Memphis Grizzlies with a right knee bruise.

Rockets coach Kevin McHale said after Houston’s 92-73 victory that his star guard bumped knees with Memphis’ Quincy Pondexter in the first quarter. Harden did not return after the injury.

”He iced it, and stuff, and we’ll see how he feels (Saturday),” McHale said indicating that he didn’t think the injury was serious.

Harden, who entered the game as the team’s leading scorer in the preseason with a 20.8 average, connected on a 3-pointer from the right wing with 4:35 left in the first quarter and went down to the court in front of the Rockets bench when he was fouled by Pondexter.

Harden eventually got up, made the ensuing free throw and went straight to the locker room at the next stoppage of play.

Harden finished with six points and four rebounds in his 7-plus minutes before the injury.

Omri Casspi scored 11 points, Donatas Motiejunas finished with 10 for Houston.

Marc Gasol led Memphis with 17 points, but connected on only 4 of 13 shots.

The game was a bit chippy at times with Gasol and the Rockets Dwight Howard earning double technicals in the first half, and Memphis forward Ed Davis drawing an ejection with a flagrant foul in the fourth.

source: sports.inquirer.net