Harden, Howard to sit out Monday vs. Suns to rest hip, knee

The Houston Rockets are taking the cautious route with their two superstars.

James Harden, who is dealing with some soreness in his hip, will likely sit out the team's exhibition contest against Phoenix on Monday in order to get some additional rest. He also sat out Sunday's practice, and beat reporters are confident Harden won't suit up against the Suns.

Center Dwight Howard will also sit out Monday's outing with a sore knee.

The status of both for Tuesday's tune-up against the New Orleans Pelicans is unclear, but the team is unlikely to push their star offensive and defensive weapon if any soreness lingers, especially with no game scheduled until Sunday.

Harden suffering from hip soreness is hardly surprising given the toll he puts on his body as one of the league's most frequent, aggressive and physical drivers. Through five seasons, he's held up pretty well, missing a total of just 21 games due to minor injuries and flare-ups.

Obviously, the Rockets' position as a Western Conference contender would become incredibly tenuous if Harden were to suffer a major injury, or if Howard's knee issue lingers. Early-season soreness might be a minor concern for the team, but it doesn't sound as if anyone's too worried yet.

Starting 2014-15 thinner on depth than last season, the Rockets will need their star duo to dominate most of the season if they're to keep up with last year's 54-win output. 

Harden was good for 25.4 points, 4.7 rebounds and 6.1 assists a year ago, numbers the team will look for him to replicate or even improve on with secondary offensive weapons Jeremy Lin and Chandler Parsons no longer in the fold. And hey, a sore hip is a good excuse for taking it easy on defense, right?

Howard, meanwhile, appeared in 71 games and anchored the league's No. 13 defense. His scoring and rebounding rates also recovered some from a disappointing 2012-13, something the Rockets surely hope is sustainable.