Harden to return from hamstring injury on minutes restriction vs. Wolves
Houston Rockets shooting guard James Harden will return to the lineup Thursday night against the Minnesota Timberwolves after missing seven games due to a left hamstring strain, Rockets coach Mike D'Antoni told reporters, including Mark Berman of Fox 26.
Harden will be kept on a minutes restriction in his first game back, reports Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle.
The Rockets went 4-3 without Harden in the lineup, with their second-ranked offense falling off by 3.4 points per 100 possessions and their true shooting percentage dipping to 13th in the league over that span. For the season, Houston has been 4.8 points per 100 possessions better with Harden on the floor.
The reigning MVP runner-up (and arguably the front-runner for the 2017-18 award) was averaging 32.3 points, five rebounds, 9.1 assists, and 1.8 steals through 35 games before getting hurt. He's shot 45.1 percent from the field and 39 percent (on 10.6 attempts per game) from 3-point range, and leads the NBA in scoring average, usage rate, win shares, and PER, while ranking second to Stephen Curry in Real Plus-Minus.
The 30-12 Rockets are 16-2 with both Harden and Chris Paul in the lineup.