It has been 31 games since Houston Rockets guard James Harden has scored less than 30 points. Only the late Wilt Chamberlain has accomplished that same feat, playing in an era that featured dramatically more possessions per game. But while Harden’s achievement is amazing, he asserts that it sprung from necessity.
In an ESPN exclusive interview with Rachel Nichols on Monday, Harden explained how the streak came about organically as a response to teammate injuries and the will to win.
The scoring streak is obviously amazing, but it’s just something that I had to do because of our situation. We had all these injuries and guys in and out of the lineup and things like that. I think the streak just started happening, and then now it’s something to talk about, but it’s not something that I’m really, honestly focused on. That’s something that I have to do in order to give us a chance to win the game.
At the time Harden’s streak began, the team was missing bygone forward James Ennis. Four games later, Houston lost Chris Paul for an extended period of time. Then Eric Gordon was forced to sit for two weeks, which narrowly overlapped with Clint Capela’s ongoing absence. The Rockets have been unable to field a healthy lineup for most of the season.
When asked about competing with the Golden State Warriors, Harden was optimistic.
“We haven’t gotten there, but we will because we haven’t been healthy yet,” he told Nichols. “Like … we’ve had glimpses, so hopefully after this break we can catch a rhythm. We just have to stay healthy.”
Capela is currently the only player on Houston’s roster still out due to injury, but he is a major piece of the team’s core. He is targeting the Rockets’ first game after the All-Star break to make his comeback. How long Harden’s streak continues with all hands on deck remains to be seen. He does not appear concerned about it.
