Houston Rockets guard James Harden revealed that it's been difficult for him to get a burst on drives to the basket since he rolled his ankle in Game 3 of the first-round series against the Oklahoma City Thunder, but he vowed he'll be ready to go for Tuesday's Game 5.
"Got some treatment, and I'll be ready to go tomorrow," Harden said before Monday's practice.
Harden went 5-for-16 from the field, including 0-for-7 from 3-point range, for 16 points in the Rockets' 113-109 win in Game 4 on Sunday. It was the fewest points Harden has scored in this postseason.
"It's the playoffs, everybody is banged up, so you just got to find a way to fight through it and find a way to help your teammates win games," Harden said. "For me, it's not necessarily scoring. I don't have to score a certain amount of points as long as I'm making the right plays and guys are getting shots, everybody is in a good rhythm -- that's all that matters."
Harden, an MVP candidate who finished second in the league in scoring and first in assists, had battled through a jammed wrist late in the regular season and didn't miss any games. The only game Harden missed was because of the flu.