Getty Houston Rockets guard James Harden after being hit in the face
While the second-round NBA playoff matchup between the Golden State Warriors and Houston Rockets has been intense, there’s no question these two teams have mutual respect. After Warriors forward Draymond Green hit James Harden in the face while attempting to grab a loose ball, it led to the Rockets star remaining down for an extended period before heading to the locker room.
The scene was obviously concerning, as the Rockets medical staff was tending to Harden before he went back to the locker room. Here’s a look at the play, courtesy of Dime.
Oh no. James Harden is down after taking a hit from Draymond… t.co/7OzmRLTT0U
Harden was down from roughly the 6:30 mark of the first quarter and remained in the locker room through the start of the second quarter. During the break between the two frames, Rockets coach Mike D’Antoni told the TNT broadcast that the star guard was bleeding from his eye.
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Draymond Green Approaches Harden After Injury
After the incident happened and Harden began heading to the locker room, Green made sure to stop the reigning MVP on his way. As Def Pen Hoops revealed, it seems Green apologized to Harden for the incident after it happened.
Draymond Green was spotted apologizing to Harden after striking him in the face
It certainly didn’t appear as if there was any malicious intent from Green on the play, as the two players were fighting for the ball. Allie LaForce reported on the broadcast that Harden was hit in both eyes and also suffered a laceration on his left eyelid.
James Harden Returns Minutes Into 2nd Quarter
Just prior to the first stoppage in play during the second quarter, Harden emerged from the locker room and appeared to be heading towards the scorer’s table. That was not the immediate case, though, as LaForce said he could be dealing with blurred vision, and in turn, went to the bench and worked on trying to clear up his vision before returning.
In a positive update, Harden was able to come back to Wednesday’s game. He checked back in at the 7:09 mark of the second quarter. Prior to suffering the eye injury, Harden was held in check during the six minutes he played, failing to score and shooting 0-for-3 from the field over that stretch. He had just one rebound and two turnovers before leaving the game, while the Rockets trailed 29-20 at the end of the first quarter.
The Rockets were able to keep the game within single digits at halftime, still trailing by nine points. While Harden has been able to get things going since returning, it’s apparent that his eye is causing discomfort. At one point, Harden could even be seen squinting and blocking the lights in the arena.
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