James Harden and the Houston Rockets had to work hard to beat the Oklahoma City Thunder, a team that stretched the series to seven games. Neither Harden nor Russell Westbrook had the best game last night, especially the Beard, who posted strange numbers. However, James knew how to impact the game on the other end of the court. Yes, Harden was important for his team on defense, making big plays in the last seconds of the game.
He blocked Luguentz Dort, who was making a 3-point attempt and left 2.2 seconds off the clock for the Thunder, who couldn’t unlock Houston’s defense to make a final shot. After the game, Harden was self-critical, saying his offensive game was very bad yesterday, using stronger words during his post-game interview.
James Harden's denial WINS the series for Houston❗️❕❗️ pic.twitter.com/rFnlh2aFJ2
— NBA (@NBA) September 3, 2020
“Offensively, I played like sh*t,” Harden told after the game, recognizing he wasn’t as good as he always is on offense.
https://twitter.com/TheHoopCentral/status/1301368323062378496
Just when you thought this year and this NBA couldn’t surprise us anymore, James Harden won a game for his team, using his defense. That’s how wild times are right now.
James Harden tonight
17 Points
26 FG%
1/9 3PM
4 Turnovers
Game saving block. pic.twitter.com/6gEbqe71PQ
— Hoop Central (@TheHoopCentral) September 3, 2020
The Rockets will now face the Los Angeles Lakers for a spot in the Western Conference Finals. Houston will hope to see Harden playing good and being important on both ends of the floor. Otherwise, they’ll have a lot of problems facing the Californians.
