Chris Paul Will Start Against The Magic, But Will Be On A Minutes Restriction

The Houston Rockets have been the James Harden show for the better part of two months as the reigning MVP has thrust himself back into favorite status to win the award again this season.

Harden has been nothing short of incredible since December started, and he’s had to be to keep the Rockets afloat as they’ve been without Chris Paul for 17 games and, more recently, suffered the loss of Clint Capela. Harden’s usage rate is nearly 40 percent and he’s on a scoring tear not seen since Wilt Chamberlain.

While that’s been incredible to watch, it’s also raised the question of what Harden will be capable of come the postseason given how much he’s had to exert in the regular season. On that front, the Rockets got good news Sunday as Mike D’Antoni announced Paul was returning to the starting lineup against the Magic to provide some much needed reinforcement in the backcourt. Austin Rivers will move to the bench and Paul will play between 20 and 25 minutes in his first game back.

The question on everyone’s mind is what this means for Harden’s streak of 22 straight games with 30 points or more, and what role Paul will take on in his first action back. Rockets fans and the organization surely want Paul to take some of the workload off Harden’s shoulders because that’s probably best for the long run, but impartial observers kind of want to see this all continue and see how long Harden’s Herculean efforts can last on that side of the ball. With the minutes restriction in play, we could very well continue seeing Harden’s streak continue, but one would think that will end at some point once Paul is back to full strength.