OAKLAND The Warriors wrapped up practice Wednesday in anticipation of Thursday’s matchup with the Houston Rockets.
Here are the biggest takeaways from the session.
James Harden has the champs’ attention.
Entering Thursday’s matchup against the Warriors, Harden has been on a tear, averaging 39.7 points and 8.5 assists over his last 11 games, including a 50 point, 10 rebound, 11 assist triple-double performance against the Lakers last month. On Monday, Harden joined Kobe Bryant and Michael Jordan as the only players in last 30 years to score at least 400 points over a 10-game span, helping carry the Rockets to a 10-1 record during the stretch, even without injured all-star guard Chris Paul.
“We’re seeing the very best of James Harden doing what he does,” said Warriors coach Steve Kerr. “Shooting his stepback three, getting fouled – just been on a huge run. It’s been amazing.”
During the run, the Rockets have gone from near the bottom of the Western Conference standings to fourth place entering Thursday’s matchup. Even with the rough start to Houston’s season, the Warriors aren’t surprised the Rockets are back in contention.
“I never doubted them making the playoffs,” said Warriors big man Jordan Bell. “They were the only team to take us to seven games last year so you don’t want to just throw them out the way just because they were struggling a little bit. We were struggling a bit this year too but they’re a very good team and it will be a very good game tomorrow.”
Steve Kerr still doesn’t have a return date for Boogie.
Just as it has been for nearly the past three months, the Warriors have kept their answer the same on when DeMarcus Cousins will fully heal from a left Achilles tendon and return to the court.
“I don’t know exactly when he’s going to play, but he practiced fully today,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr said. “He has to work on his conditioning.”
Unlike when training camp first started, though, the Warriors have become encouraged with Cousins’ progress.
Even as Cousins sheds off that rust after healing his left Achilles tendon since injuring it on Jan. 26, 2017 with the New Orleans Pelicans, the Warriors have still noticed something different than when training camp first started. They notice their future starting center showing more intensity and confidence during the four scrimmages he has participated with the Warriors in the past week.
“He tells me to go at him and try to simulate a real game,” Warriors guard Quinn Cook said. “You can definitely see how much better he feels moving laterally and running up and down with the conditioning. We go pretty hard. I’m trying to attack him.”
Kerr mum on UCLA’s interest in assistant coach.
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“This is the first I’ve ever heard,” Kerr said. “Mike didn’t tell me about anything so it sounds like speculation to me.”
Still, Kerr said in the event Brown is contacted, he’d support Brown if the assistant had a desire to pursue the opportunity.
“If any coach on our staff has interest from anybody out there then we always give that coach an opportunity to explore,” Kerr said.
Bell staying focused.
In Monday’s win, Bell made the most of his opportunity, finishing with a season-high 10 points, six rebounds and two blocks in 15 minutes
Bell’s performance was reminiscent of his rollercoaster rookie season when his defense in the Western Conference Finals helped the Warriors to their second straight title. This season, Bell has struggled to get on the floor, playing a combined 14 minutes over his last three games. On Wednesday, Bell said it’s been hard staying upbeat this season.
“It’s tough to always be confident in yourself when your minutes are down and obviously you’re not doing something right so whether I got in or not I tried to stay confident in my game,” Bell said.
Still, Bell says he knows what he has to do to get minutes on the floor in the future.
“Just stay focused,” Bell said. “Just keep trying to be in the right spots on offensive and defensively being the hardest playing guy on the floor.”
Jacob Evans is probable for Thursday’s game.
The rookie, who’s dealt with foot issues over the past two weeks, is listed as probable for Thursday’s game.
Golden State’s first-round pick has struggled to get on the floor this season, appearing in just 20 games, averaging 0.6 points, 0.3 rebounds and 0.6 assists in 4.3 minutes per game. Evans’ performance led him to be sent down to the G-League Warriors, which has helped, according to coach Kerr.
“Very encouraging,” Kerr said. “He’s been aggressive, he’s looking to shoot, he’s looking to score. Part of what we want him to do is just playing, at that age, especially when you’re coming into the league, you just need to play. So the more he can play the better.”