“How do you keep James Harden off the free throw line?”
That was one of the first questions posed to Frank Vogel during his pre-game interview session Monday night.
“Near impossible,” he answered.
With defensive stopper Paul George yet to play during the 2014-15 campaign, Houston Rockets (47-23) star and MVP candidate James Harden went off for 44 points, 21 scored at the foul line, en route to a 110-100 victory of the Pacers (30-40).
[Larry Bird wants to see Paul George ‘do a little bit better’ before returning]
The loss was the Pacers’ sixth straight (for the fourth time this season), and their fourth ‘L’ in a row at the usual-friendly confines of Bankers Life Fieldhouse. That seven-game win streak, which elevated them to as high as seventh in the Eastern Conference standings, seems like it was ages ago. But that’s how the NBA is, things can change in a hurry.
“We’re disappointed because obviously we want to win games,” said Pacers forward David West. “Nobody’s hanging their head or whatever. We’re trying to keep each other encouraged and try to right the ship.”
The game plan was obvious entering the game. Slow Harden. Simple as that, but easier said than done.
Still, Harden got his — and then some.
He scored 15 points in the first 12 minutes, going 9-of-9 at the free throw line. He fired off 13 more attempts from the stripe over the final three quarters, three shy from his career high in attempts and one short for free throws made (22-of-25).
Consider the Rockets were 35-of-37, the most makes of any Pacers opponent this season, and the Pacers were just 12-of-19. A difference of 23 points.
Harden himself was nearly perfect, going 21-of-22, the most an individual has hit on the Pacers in franchise history.
“That’s one of the biggest challenges in guarding a guy like that, is doing it without fouling,” Vogel said. “He’s got all the tricks to pick up fouls. We’ve got young defenders on him and we didn’t do a good enough job there.”
So I asked coach how he instructed his guys to defend a guy that can beat you both off the dribble and nail a step-back jumper.
“You got to absorb the contact and show your hands,” Vogel said. “You put your hands in the cookie jar he swings his arms through them and the whistle blows pretty quickly.”
For Harden, he’s now the NBA leader in games this season with 40 points or more. It’s happened eight times, twice against against the Pacers. The Rockets’ record when the sixth-year guard scores 35 or more improves to 15-1.
[Paul George return in sight, must first reach Vogel’s acceptable level of play]
With George, the Pacers are 3-1 against the Harden-led Rockets and he hadn’t scored more than 28 points. This year, without George’s services, the Pacers have lost both games to the Rockets and given up 89 points combined, 35 in total at the foul line.
“He’s one of the toughest covers in the league because of his ability to draw fouls and just control the game from start to finish,” offered West.
Making matters worse for the Pacers, Josh Smith, who was waived by Detroit and signed with Houston in late December, scored 18 points off the bench and hit four three-pointers — a mark that matches his career high. It was that kind of night for the Blue and Gold, Harden going off and Smith connecting from behind the arc. Even big man Donatas Montiejunas sank a triple to end the third period.
The Pacers trailed by as many as 21 points but trimmed it down to two late in the third. With three minutes to play, it was an eight-point contest but the Rockets held on. George Hill led the Pacers with 20 points and Roy Hibbert recorded his 15th double-double of the season (18 points, 10 rebounds).
And, they did all of this without eight-time All-Star Dwight Howard, who missed his 26th straight game due to fluid build-up in his right knee. The Pacers were without the services of reserve spark-plug Rodney Stuckey. He’s dealt with a left calf strain over the last two weeks and it caused him to miss his ninth game of the year.
Meanwhile, Indiana, who remains in the No. 10 spot behind Boston and Charlotte, now plays four of its next five games on the road, including two pairs of back-to-back games. This week in Washington D.C. on Wednesday and in Milwaukee on Thursday.
No longer, however, can they worry about the standings. Instead, the focus must be on piling up some wins over the final 12 games.
“Frustrated but understanding that our goals are still within reach,” Vogel said of the temperature in the locker room. “We just have to focus on the process. Not the outcomes, not the standings or any of that. Focus on what’s going to get us our next win.”