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Houston Rockets: James Harden says he will play Saturday

By Michael Knight

OAKLAND, CA - APRIL 30: James Harden #13 of the Houston Rockets looks on during Game Two of the Western Conference Semifinals of the 2019 NBA Playoffs against the Golden State Warriors on April 30, 2019 at ORACLE Arena in Oakland, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2019 NBAE (Photo by Noah Graham/NBAE via Getty Images)
OAKLAND, CA - APRIL 30: James Harden #13 of the Houston Rockets looks on during Game Two of the Western Conference Semifinals of the 2019 NBA Playoffs against the Golden State Warriors on April 30, 2019 at ORACLE Arena in Oakland, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2019 NBAE (Photo by Noah Graham/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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Despite having a vision and eye problem after last game, the star of the Houston Rockets has said he will play in Saturday’s Game 3 matchup against the Warriors.

As if there was any question about it, James Harden will play for the Houston Rockets on Saturday night in H-Town. He had some serious eye issues after being scratched there by Draymond Green in Game 2, but should be completely fine by the weekend.

It doesn’t mean we won’t be seeing the effects of the poking. In Game 2, the Beard left for most of the first quarter and some of the second. When he came back, his eyes were super red and he was having obvious vision issues.

That didn’t stop him from performing, though. He had 29 points on an efficient 9/19 shooting (3/7 from deep) and kept the Rockets alive in the game they eventually would drop to the Warriors.

Here’s the quote from the Beard about him playing:

James Harden was asked if he was good to go for Game 3: "I mean, if I played barely seeing last game, what makes you think I'm gonna sit out Game 3." #Rockets

— Alykhan Bijani (@Rockets_Insider) May 2, 2019

Rockets are going to need him

The Rockets are going to need big games out of Harden as the next two are must-wins for the team. He’s been good, arguably canceling out the efforts of Kevin Durant with similar numbers and efficiency. But if Houston wants to win, the Beard needs to be the best player on the court like he knows he can be.

Last game was a good start, and if he played the full game without taking the break to clean up his cut eye, it might have been a completely different game. We haven’t seen Harden score more than 40 this postseason like he did so many times in the regular season. One of those efforts would be pretty nice in these next couple of games.

Still hope for Rockets after falling down 0-2. Next

No matter what, it’s going to be a tough-fought series the rest of the way. To win, the Rockets must take four out of five against one of the most talented teams ever assembled. If they pull it off, this will go down in history as one of the best comebacks ever.

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