76ers vs. Rockets: James Harden Assesses First Game Back

James Harden discusses his first game back on Monday night.

After spending the last month rehabbing from a tendon strain in his foot, the ten-time All-Star guard James Harden returned to the Philadelphia 76ers’ starting lineup on Monday night.

Ironically, Harden’s return came against his former team, the Houston Rockets. Playing in an arena he knows very well, Harden was ready to get back to work after missing 14 straight games.

As expected, Harden looked rusty on Monday night. However, four trips to the free-throw line helped the veteran generate seven of his ten first-quarter points. It looked like Harden would pick up right where he left off, but the star guard had a tough shooting night from the field. 

While Harden’s playmaking was certainly missed over the multi-week stretch he sat out, the star guard made some ill-advised turnovers on Monday, which put the Sixers in a bad spot.

“Too many turnovers,” Harden admitted following Monday’s game in Houston, according to Ky Carlin of Sixers Wire. “Easy shots that I missed that just felt rusty for whatever reason, but definitely a game we should’ve won.”

Taking 19 shots from the field on Monday, Harden knocked down just 21 percent of his attempts. From deep, he hit on 36 percent of his 11 three-point attempts. Harden finished the night with 21 points in 38 minutes of action.

In terms of turning the ball over, Harden led the Sixers with seven turnovers, coughing the ball up at a 21 percent rate, his second-highest of the year. The timing of the turnovers was costly, as five of them came between the fourth quarter and the two overtime periods. 

For the third-straight game, the Sixers came up short on the road. While Harden helped in certain areas, he couldn’t be a difference-maker for the 76ers on Monday as they came up short against the Rockets in double-overtime, losing 123-132. 

While Harden admitted he had rust on Monday, the veteran guard mentioned that he still feels good coming out of the matchup healthy and playing beyond his minutes restriction. 

“I feel good,” Harden said via Carlin. “We didn’t come away with the win like we wanted to, but for myself personally, I felt good.”

Harden and the Sixers will return to the court on Friday night to host the Los Angeles Lakers. Now that he’s got his feet wet by re-joining the lineup on Monday, Harden should look more refreshed when the Sixers take the court again. 

Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for All76ers, a Sports Illustrated channel. You can follow him for live updates on Twitter: @JGrasso_.