James Harden was clearly bothered by the contusion and eyelid laceration he suffered early in Game 2 of the Western Conference semifinals on Tuesday night.
But It doesn't appear he is expected have those same issues when the Houston Rockets and Warriors reconvene Saturday for Game 3 at the Toyota Center. Harden visited an eye doctor Wednesday and the Rockets are "optimistic" he won't have vision issues going forward, ESPN's Tim MacMahon reported Wednesday.
Harden's eye was scratched when Draymond Green raked him across the face early in the first quarter Tuesday night, an eventual 115-109 win for the Warriors.
The 2018 NBA MVP returned in the second quarter but was clearly off after returning, finishing the game with 29 points on 9-of-19 shooting. TNT cameras caught Harden appearing to struggle with the lights on numerous occasions.
Harden told the media after the game that his eye was an issue throughout the night, although ESPN reporter Shelley Smith gave him a few pointers on how to get it to heal.
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The Rockets will need Harden at his best if they plan to win Game 3 and claw their way back into the series.
Harden hasn't been Houston's problem in the first two games, though. The Warriors' defense has taken away a number of things the Rockets like to do, and Chris Paul was a shell of himself in six of the eight quarters in Oakland. Harden dropped 35 points in Game 1 and still managed the 29 in Game 2 despite the eye injury.
