Subscribe
Follow Us
Whenever James Harden makes a foray to the basket, he usually scores, whether it’s on a lay-up or off free throws after drawing fouls on opposing defenders. It’s part of the reason why it’s difficult to stop the NBA’s 2018 MVP, and even LeBron James has acknowledged just how hard it is to prevent Harden from scoring.
In the aftermath of the Lakers’ 110-100 win over the Houston Rockets in Game 4 to take a 3-1 lead in their Western Conference Semifinal series, LeBron James spoke about Harden’s ability to draw fouls and score off the free-throw line. According to Harrison Faigen of SB Nation, the three-time champion was all praises for the Rockets guard:
Article Continues Below“James is probably one of the best offensive players that we’ve ever seen in this league. He had 20 free throw attempts, and we’re not trying to put him to the free throw line…the guy is just so clever he still gets 20 free throw attempts…He’s very tricky with his moves in the paint…We can’t wait take away everything because of how great he is offensively.”
The Lakers’ Game 4 win a testament to Harden’s ability to score even when he isn’t shooting well. The league’s three-time scoring champion finished with 21 points, four rebounds, 10 assists, and three blocks for the Rockets, but shot just 2-of-11 from the field. Harden, however, made a living off the free-throw line, making 16 of 20 free throws, his most number of attempts, and makes during these playoffs, which matches the number of attempts as the entire Lakers team.
James, meanwhile, finished with 16 points, his lowest scoring output since finishing with 10 points in the Lakers’ Game 2 win over the Portland Trailblazers in the first round. The NBA’s all-time leader in playoff wins, however, added 15 rebounds, nine assists, and two steals and was a +15 for Los Angeles, which will try to close out the series in Game 5 on Saturday.
