James Harden Crosses Ricky Rubio To The Floor, Drains Step-Back Trey To Close Third Quarter

Andrew Wiggins was doing an admirable checking James Harden. As the third quarter clock wound down, though, the Houston Rockets MVP candidate drew a defensive assignment other than the Minnesota Timberwolves rookie.

Nasty.

Make no mistake: Ricky Rubio is a damn good defender. But Harden cooks better than anyone in basketball east of the Bay Area, and he was due for a moment like this after Wiggins had frustrated him to 5-of-15 shooting. Two years ago or maybe even last season, such struggles from the field meant that the ultra-talented lefty didn’t have a major impact on the game. No longer.

Harden is on his way to a triple-double with 24 points, nine rebounds, and 10 assists midway through the fourth quarter. Houston leads scrappy Minnesota by seven.

[Vine via Patstap]

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