Houston Rockets superstar James Harden has yet again added another feather on his cap on Wednesday night as he led his team to a 118-98 victory against the Utah Jazz in their Western Conference first-round encounter. The reigning MVP set a new playoff career-high in rebounds by securing 13 boards against the Jazz, and in the process, lifted his side to a 2-0 advantage in the series.
Harden is one assist from his third career triple double in the playoffs. His 13 rebounds with 4:55 left are his career high in the post-season.
— Jonathan Feigen (@Jonathan_Feigen) April 18, 2019
Harden led the charge again for Houston in this one, logging another triple-double with a game-high 32 points (on 11-of-24 shooting), 13 rebounds, and 10 assists. This also came with six three-pointers, a block, and sadly, eight turnovers in 33 minutes of play.
The Rockets were also successful in shutting down Jazz star Donovan Mitchell, who accounted for only 11 points on a miserable 5-of-19 from the floor with four turnovers.
It was another important victory for the Rockets, as they have now won both games on their home floor. The series now shifts to Utah for Game 3, which has now become a must-win game for the Jazz. No team in the history of the NBA has ever come back from an 0-3 series deficit, so the urgency for Utah cannot be overstated.
Harden and company will, however, be looking to close this series out as soon as they can, and wouldn't mind winning the tie in Utah in Game 4. It's definitely too early to say, but with how things have developed over the first two games of the series, a first-round sweep for the Rockets is not exactly far-fetched at this point.
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