Without Harden,Are the Rockets truly good?Kamalei Correa Jersey

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Without Harden,Are the Rockets truly good?Kamalei Correa Jersey

The Rockets pretty much own the third seed in the Western Conference, yet it’s becoming difficult for them to find their edge before the postseason. Other than a 107-98 Friday night loss at Oracle Arena, things are going just fine for the Rockets. “We’re good,” James Harden said. Harden is playing through a sore left Ben Ijalana Womens Jersey wrist that took a hard hit by Warriors forward Draymond Green. Harden didn’t look too comfortable during the game, going 4-of-18 from the field and finishing with 17 points and eight assists. “Right now we have an opportunity [to finish strong],” Harden said. “We showed signs we’re really good and show signs where we’re just going through the motions. We pretty much have the three seed locked in, we've got a few injuries [due to which people] are missing, three in four nights, a lot of things building up. We've just got to get through it, keep fighting, and we’ll be all right.” Ryan Anderson is out with a sprained right ankle, and he’s missed. Friday night, Trevor Ariza and Eric Gordon picked up the scoring with Harden struggling to find his shot. The two vets combined for 30 points, but missed 15 out of 25 shots to do it. Clint Capela and Montrezl Harrell fought well inside -- Capela had 14 rebounds and Harrell displayed a lot of energy in 21 minutes. Harden missed the Rockets' 123-116 win over the Phoenix Suns on Sunday night in Phoenix because of the illness. It was the first game Harden sat out this season. Harden also missed the team's Sunday shootaround because of the sickness. A leading contender for league MVP, Harden said recently that he thinks, in the current era of player rest, MVP candidates should be commended for being on the court every day. Harden, who had played in all 76 of the Rockets' games leading up to Sunday, has never played fewer than 73 in any 82-game season during his eight-year career. One game missed due to the flu shouldn't affect Harden's MVP candidacy as he leads the league in assists per game (11.2), is tied for second in scoring (29.2 points per game) and is http://www.officialnikejetshop.com/joe-klecko-jersey-for-sale-c-4.html second among guards with 8.1 rebounds per game. In addition to Harden, Houston was also without Trevor Ariza, who is dealing with a death in the family. The Rockets (52-25) are third in the Western Conference and snapped a three-game losing streak with Sunday's win. Houston next plays Wednesday night at home against the Denver. Houston fended off the Suns' comeback attempts in the fourth quarter and pulled away, snapping a three-game losing streak. Beverley scored a career-high 26 points and the Rockets sent the Suns to their 12th straight loss without Harden in the lineup. Harden was ruled out with acute viral syndrome, the team announced before the game. He had not missed a game all season and entered Sunday tied for second in the league in scoring at 29.2 points per game. "Coach walked up to me (and said), `We need a triple-double out of you tonight," Beverley said of the conversation with Rockets coach Mike D'Antoni, who told him Harden was out. "I know I'm not even close to what James Harden is, but I just try to go out and try to lead these guys by example." Beverley, who added http://www.authenticravensjerseys.com/kamalei-correa-jersey-for-sale-c-18.html nine assists and eight rebounds, played despite a sore right ankle and scored 11 of his points in the third quarter. Lou Williams scored 16 of his 23 points in the fourth quarter, and Troy Williams, called up from the D-League early Sunday, scored 18 of his career-high 21 points in the first half. Troy Williams, who last appeared in an NBA game on Dec. 16 with Memphis, shot 5 of 7 from 3-point range in the first 20 minutes. "He really played," D'Antoni said. "He's rangy and long. He made the most of it, that's for sure." Tyler Ulis finished with a career-high 34 points for the Suns, who were swept in a season series by the Rockets for the first time in franchise history. At 22-56, Phoenix has the West's worst record by a half-game below the Los Angeles Lakers. Ulis, a rookie, added nine rebounds and nine assists, and Devin Booker scored 27 for the Suns. "We can start back on a winning streak," Beverley said. "This was a must-win game, we're trying to solidify third (place in the Western Conference.) We wanted to come out here and set the tone and I think that we did that from the beginning." Back-to-back 3-pointers by Jared Dudley preceded a driving layup by Ulis to tie the score at 47 with 4:59 left in the second quarter, and Ulis hit a free throw after being fouled on the play to give the Suns a lead. Phoenix trailed by as many as 15 in the first quarter and 10 after 12 minutes. The Suns went on a 13-2 run that ended with Ulis' three-point play. The Rockets scored the last seven points of the first half to take a 59-54 halftime lead on baskets by Nene, Beverley and Williams. Houston is a good team http://www.authenticravensjerseys.com/justin-tucker-jersey-for-sale-c-19.html, an elite team that finished March with a 9-6 record. With just six games remaining in the regular season, it has to somehow reach the postseason on a positive note. Patrick Beverley probably summed up the mood of the team after Friday's loss when he said the Rockets just “missed shots.” If the Rockets are going to move forward in the postseason, they must somehow play a complete game against the Warriors. That double-overtime victory for the Rockets over the Warriors on Dec. 1 seems like a year ago, as Golden State has won the last three regular-season games.