James Harden says Houston Rockets have not reached limit of offensive potency
Watch Rockets @ Nets live on Sky Sports Arena from 11pm on Friday night
Friday 1 November 2019 16:36, UK
James Harden believes the Houston Rockets have not reached the limit of their offensive potency, despite scoring 159 points in their last outing.
Live NBA: Houston @ Brooklyn
The Rockets have won their last three games and head to Brooklyn to face the Nets, live on Sky Sports Arena, on Friday night fresh off beating the Washington Wizards 159-158 on Wednesday night in the third highest-scoring game in NBA history.
Harden helped himself to 59 points in that victory, including a clutch free throw in the final seconds to seal the win, but he doesn't believe the Rockets' mammoth 159-point haul in DC means his team have reached the limit of their offensive production.
Asked if 159 points represented Houston's maximum offensive output, Harden said: "No, [because] We still had a lot of open-shot opportunities that we missed [against Washington]. Obviously, [159 is] a lot of points. But offensively, we can get better. Defensively, we can get real better."
Harden putting up huge scoring numbers has become such a frequent sight that his 59-point effort in Washington seemed somewhat run-of-the-mill. The Rockets star thinks that the performances of his team-mate Russell Westbrook are seen in a similar way.
"I think it is only with me and Russ," Harden said. "Like if Russ gets a triple-double, it is [considered] normal. If I get 55 or 60 points, it is [considered] normal. If somebody else was to do that, to have a career night, it's like 'Oh my God.' But I don't care. I just try to go out there and try to win games.
"If that's what it takes for us to win games, him getting a triple-double and me getting 50 or 60 points, then we'll continue to do that."
Harden said reuniting with Westbrook, who played with as a member of the Oklahoma City Thunder, has allowed the Rockets to do an "unbelievable job" in the opening phase of the season and praised the passing skills of his backcourt partner.
"He is so talented, athletic and explosive," Harden said of Westbrook. "When he gets into the paint, he draws so much attention. [Defenders] have to help because otherwise it's a dunk. That's when he gets his team-mates involved.
"Everybody wants to score the basketball but he does an unbelievable job of using his athleticism to create opportunities for his team-mates. He has always had that unselfishness to him.
"We've known each other for a very, very long time. He knows what I like to do. I know what he likes to do. I can let him take control and I'll get the rest.
"I know I can get my shots at any point. It's only game four but we've done an unbelievable job so far of giving different defenses a little bit of both [of us]."
Watch the Houston Rockets take on the Brooklyn Nets live on Sky Sports Arena on Friday night at 11pm
