“I spent some of my most amazing years here on the court and off the court” – James Harden has fond memories of his time with the Houston Rockets
Brooklyn Nets star James Harden went down memory lane on Wednesday night. Even as the Houston Rockets secured a 114-104 win over the visiting Nets, Harden couldn’t help but get nostalgic about his return to the place where he played for a little more than eight seasons.
Harden averaged 29.6 ppg, 6.0 rpg and 7.7 apg in his time at Houston between 2012 and early 2021. He won three consecutive scoring titles between 2017 and 2020 and also won his only league MVP title for the 2017-18 season while as a member of the Houston Rockets.
Harden spoke to the media following the Brooklyn Nets’ eighth loss of the season. Speaking about his return to the Toyota Center, Harden commented:
“Very special. I spent some of my most amazing years here on the court and off the court.”
James Harden on Houston: "Very special. I spent some of my most amazing years here on the court and off the court."
This was Harden’s second visit to Houston as a member of the Brooklyn Nets. Harden first played in Houston on 3 March 2021 when the Nets trounced the Houston Rockets in a 132-114 victory. Harden had a 29-point, 10-rebound and 14-assist statline in that game as he led the Nets to victory against his former team.
Harden misses opportunity to give Brooklyn Nets road win against Houston Rockets
On Wednesday, James Harden had an opportunity to earn his second victory as a Brooklyn Nets player while playing on the road against the Houston Rockets.
After trailing by as many as 16 points (77-93) early in the fourth quarter, the Brooklyn Nets gave themselves a chance of pulling off a come-from-behind victory when they cut the deficit to a four-point game (94-98) with under six minutes left to play in the matchup versus the Houston Rockets.
Onto Atlanta https://t.co/OnvEXWQSPE
However, Harden had a poor finish from thereon as he could not convert his three-point attempts down the stretch and also committed a few turnovers, all of which proved costly for the Brooklyn Nets. Harden nonetheless took full responsibility for his underwhelming play at the end of the game. He told the media:
“Of course. Of course. Any of those shots, it’s a different story. Especially that one, being down four. Game gets a little tighter. And we were already on a run. We were already feeling confident about ourselves. Just a couple of missed lapses by myself, couple of missed shots by myself that just didn’t go in… Obviously, if I make those shots, it’s a different ball game.”
"Obviously if I make those shots, it's a different ballgame"
James Harden took responsibility for his misses when the Nets found themselves down 98-94 (the Rockets won 114-104) https://t.co/sF3VUaiKVG
The Brooklyn Nets played their second game in two nights after getting the better of Dallas yesterday. James Harden led the team against the Houston Rockets, with Kevin Durant being rested for the matchup. Harden finished with 25 points, 11 rebounds and eight assists in the contest, but shot only 4-of-16 (25.0%) from the field in the game.
The Brooklyn Nets play their next game in Atlanta on Friday.