HOUSTON -- James Harden stood in front of his locker awaiting questions from reporters about his performance Tuesday night against the Golden State Warriors. It was a long night for him, but the gray wrap on his left wrist made more of a statement than anything else.
Harden has been playing with a jammed left wrist, and for the first time since he suffered the injury March 18, he admitted it's bothering him.
"It's pretty tough, man, I'm not going to lie," said Harden, who has played in all 74 of the Rockets' games this season. "I don't like to feel sorry for myself at all, but just the shot is short and frustrating when you can't really follow through and whatnot. I'm going to continue to go out there and do my best, and honestly, we gave ourselves a chance -- not making 3s, we still fought fought, fought. We cut it to six and they hit some big shots."
The Warriors led from start to finish in a 113-106 victory. The Rockets were down 17 after one quarter, failing to make adjustments on the defensive end as the Warriors got easy looks at the basket on cuts into the lane and hit open shots.
The Rockets didn't help matters, shooting 5-for-31 from 3-point range, tying a season-low in made 3s. For the game, Houston shot just 38.8 percent from the field. Harden had an off night from the field, his first in a while, making only 5 of his 20 shot attempts. He still finished with a triple-double, though, recording 24 points, 13 assists and 11 rebounds. He became the first player in league history to score 2,000 points and produce 2,000 points on assists in a single season.
Harden's quest for the MVP has been established; now it's up to the voters to evaluate his season against those of Russell Westbrook, Isaiah Thomas, Kawhi Leonard and LeBron James.
There have been times Harden has struggled, bad wrist or not, but over the past five games he has averaged nearly a triple-double: 36 points, 12.2 assists and 8.6 rebounds.
Something changed Tuesday night. With about two minutes to go in the third quarter he drove the lane, lost the ball and quickly grabbed his wrist. On the next possession, he let Lou Williams bring the ball downcourt. Harden continued his point guard responsibilities after the pain subsided.
"He's a beast, man. He's a machine," Patrick Beverley said. "He takes care of his body, he's doing all the right things. Right now, he's in that position where he's fighting through a lot, and we understand it. We're fighting with him. To see our leader play through pain like that, sacrifice his body like that, that means a lot for this team."
When asked Tuesday morning, Harden said the voters should consider the ability of MVP candidates to play an entire season. Harden and Westbrook are the only two legitimate MVP candidates who have played every game.
If the Rockets sit Harden on Thursday night at Portland, it won't be because he needs the rest. His wrist is bothering him, and giving him a day off when the Rockets' No. 3 seed in the Western Conference seems secure could be the best move.
Yet Harden said he is against it.
"Nah, nah," he said when asked about missing a game or having reduced minutes.
He's against rest, because playing is what he says he believes he should be doing. He gets paid to play 82 games, so he says he believes that's what he should do, barring injury. Harden doesn't get injured -- he leads the NBA in total minutes the past three seasons.
Yet even Mike D'Antoni, who says he believes in using his players for a full 82-game season unless they're hurt, said he had some concern about Harden.
"I think [the wrist] bothered him a little bit," D'Antoni said. "We'll have to look at it moving forward to make sure he's OK. But I'm sure he's fine, since, yeah, he had a triple-double."
Sitting Thursday's game against the Trail Blazers shouldn't be viewed as a negative for Harden, but more a case of him needing a maintenance day. Houston would be short-handed for that game without Ryan Anderson, who is nursing a sprained ankle, and Montrezl Harrell, who is out as he awaits the birth of his child. Knowing this, the Rockets probably will push Harden to play again.
"Ice, treatment, be ready to go," Harden said.
Asked again about the possibility of sitting out a game, Harden repeated: "Ice, treatment, be ready to go."
