NBA Playoffs: Rockets' James Harden 'barely could see' in Game 2 loss to Warriors, raising questions moving forward
Harden suffered a lacerated left eyelid in the first quarter of Game 2, which the Rockets lost
Following the Houston Rockets' Game 2 loss to the Golden State Warriors on Tuesday night, James Harden told reporters he "barely could see" after suffering a lacerated left eyelid in the first quarter. Harden had bleeding in both eyes, in fact, after Draymond Green accidentally poked him as they both pursued a rebound.
Draymond inadvertently pokes Harden in the eye going for loose ball. Harden in #pain pic.twitter.com/bFFV8W9w4h
— BBALLBREAKDOWN (@bballbreakdown) May 1, 2019
"I couldn't see nothing," Harden added. "They put a couple of drops in to help it and numb it a little bit. All the lights were blurry. ... Hopefully it gets better day by day."
That's obviously the concern here. How much will Harden's vision improve by the time Game 3 rolls around? Luckily for Houston, Game 3 isn't until Saturday, so he has some time. For a guy who couldn't see, Harden played admirably in Game 2, scoring 29 points on 9-of-19 shooting including 3 of 7 from 3. It just wasn't enough.
The Rockets trail the Warriors 2-0 as the series moves to Houston, and clearly they need Harden at as close to full strength as possible to climb back. To advance, the Rockets have to win four of the next five games vs. Golden State. For all intents and purposes, Game 3 is a must-win. There is no way Houston is coming back from a 3-0 deficit.
















