James Harden revelation made by Rockets coach Mike D’Antoni after Grizzlies display

The Rocket coach made the admission after Harden put in another impressive performance at the Toyota Center as he seeks to win back-back MVP awards.

The 28-year-old finished the game with 57 points, nine rebounds and two assists.

It looked like it was going to be a good night for Harden and his Rockets, after he set a team record by shooting 36 points in the first half to give his side a 54-48 lead in Houston.

With his performance on Monday night Harden surpassed Kobe Bryant’s 16th consecutive game with at least 30 points.

Harden, who is on 17, is now chasing down Wilt Chamberlain, who holds the longest such streak with 20 back-to-back 30-plus-point games, a feat he achieved in 1964.

“What he just did, we kind of take it for granted a little bit,” D’Antoni said.

“It’s like ‘ah well look at that, ain’t that cute’ its 57.

“That’s on dead legs and playing all the minutes he played.

“He played 43 minutes last night.

“It’s beyond impressive.

“It’s rare, rare that people can do what he is doing.”

Harden, who finished three points off of his franchise record, made 17-of-33 from the floor, and 6-of-15 from three-point range.

“There’s no pressure,” Harden said after the final buzzer.

“I do this for a living. I have fun with it.”

Rocket coach D’Antoni admits he knew Harden was fatigued and that his superstar was looking to manage his performance.

“I knew he was dog tired,” D’Antoni said.

“He was trying to orchestrate it early, trying to save his legs a little bit.

“The guys they got on him are really good defenders.

“That [Jevon] Carter kid is really good, Garrett [Temple] is really good

“And even when you switch over, they have got long defenders when he gets to the rim.”

With the win the Rockets move up a position to fifth place in the Eastern Conference and are now 4.5 games behind leaders the Denver Nuggets.

In their next game Houston will host the Brooklyn Nets on Wednesday night.

source: express.co.uk