The Houston Rockets dodged a huge scare on Friday night versus the Philadelphia 76ers.
As the Rockets were pouncing on the Sixers late in the first half -- they were leading by 20 points -- MVP candidate James Harden suffered a scary right wrist injury during a fall on a drive to the layup. Harden would then be helped to the locker room. Luckily for the Rockets, it's stay in the locker room didn't last long as he returned to the game.
James Harden just returned to a standing ovation. He wasn’t in the back long enough to get an X-ray. That right wrist has been bothering him.
— Tim MacMahon (@espn_macmahon) March 9, 2019
It's no secret that the Rockets will go as far as Harden can take them. The reigning MVP's dominance since December has catapulted the Rockets from being one of the worst teams in the Western Conference all the way to a current standing of fourth place. This is a team that was 11-14 in early December that now currently stands at 39-25.
At the end of the third quarter, the Rockets had led 87-65 over the Joel Embiid-less Sixers. The "injured" Harden was a major reason for that as he went on an onslaught, scoring 29 points, grabbing eight rebounds and dishing six assists in three quarters of work.
Not to mention, he torched All-NBA defender Jimmy Butler on this possession.
It's worth mentioning that although Harden returned to the game, he exited the sidelines for the locker room with 3:30 left to go in the game -- presumably to have his right wrist checked out.
Rockets roll again crushing Philly for their 7th straight win. Harden finishes with 31-10-7. The right wrist injury he suffered earlier seemed fine when he came back in, but he left the bench and went to the locker room again when he checked out with over 3:30 to go in the game.
— Stefano Fusaro (@FusaroESPN) March 9, 2019
The right wrist may not be 100 percent for Harden, but I'd guess it's still good enough for the Rockets shooting guard to dominate games.
