Tag: Mike D’Antoni

Rockets expect James Harden, Clint Capela to play Wednesday

In an interview with SportsTalk 790, Rockets coach Mike D’Antoni said he expects both of his injured starters to play in Portland.

Houston Rockets head coach Mike D’Antoni expects both of his injured starters to return to the lineup for Wednesday’s game at Portland.

James Harden missed both of the team’s last two games with a bruised left thigh, while Clint Capela sat out Monday’s victory in Utah with a nagging right heel contusion.

Speaking midday Wednesday with flagship radio station SportsTalk 790 on The Matt Thomas Show, D’Antoni said this about their status:

To be honest with you, I think that they’re all going to play.

Now, it might change. I don’t know for sure. It might be that they try to warm up, and it hurts more than I’m anticipated.

But I think right now, we’ve got a really good shot at all of them playing. So that’s good.

Though Harden has slumped in January, the 2018 MVP still leads the NBA this season with a historic 36.1 points per game scoring average. No other player has averaged that many points in over 30 years, and Harden is also in the league’s top 10 in assists at 7.3 per game.

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As for Capela, the 6-foot-10 big man has missed four games over the past month with a nagging heel issue that never fully went away.

In his radio interview Wednesday, D’Antoni said he expects Capela to be able to play after getting loose.

The thing with his injury is that it does hurt, but as he gets warm during a game, it usually goes away.

There’s an inflammation there. It’s mostly off days, and it’s nagging, and warming up is hard. But once he gets going, he should be okay.

In the 2019-20 season, the 25-year-old Capela is averaging 14.2 points (62.8% shooting), 13.9 rebounds, and 1.9 blocks in 33.2 minutes per game. His per-game rebounding total is fourth in the league.

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Tip-off between the Rockets (29-17) and Blazers (20-27) is scheduled for 9:00 p.m. Central time on Wednesday, with the game broadcast nationally on ESPN. It’s the finale of a four-game road trip for the Rockets, who entered Wednesday with wins in three of their last four contests.