Nov 20, 2013; Dallas, TX, USA; Houston Rockets guard James Harden (13) shoots against Dallas Mavericks guard Monta Ellis (11) at American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Matthew Emmons-USA TODAY Sports
It’s never quite a good thing when your leading scorer (24.2 ppg) is going to miss “the next couple of games”. It’s even worst when his status for the next game is “still unknown”.
That’s what CSN Houston reported just before the Houston Rockets’ game against Minnesota last night, which they won. Harden has missed two straight games due to his “left foot injury”.
James Harden, I'm told, will likely miss Houston's next two games thanks to foot issue plaguing him ... with further evaluation after that
— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) November 23, 2013
Harden and the Rockets should know more about the “injury” on Sunday, or early next week. There were no reported MRI’s that needed to be conducted, so I guess that’s a good indication that they don’t think this is serious.
Still, if Harden has to miss any significant time, that doesn’t bode well for the Rockets. When Harden is on the floor, the Rockets’ offensive efficiency is 13.3 points better than when he isn’t on the floor. And when you factor in that their defense isn’t that great, that matters.