The Houston Rockets are optimistic that star guard James Harden will not have any more problems with his vision in the Western Conference semifinals, sources told ESPN on Wednesday.
Harden suffered contusions in both eyes and a laceration on the inside of his left eyelid when he was inadvertently hit in the face by Golden State’s Draymond Green a little more than five minutes into the Rockets’ Game 2 loss on Tuesday.
Harden said he could “barely see” after returning to the game in the second quarter. He frequently squinted and shielded his eyes from the light for the remainder of the game and his postgame news conference. Harden’s vision in his left eye was especially blurry.
Harden’s issues with his vision were not evident in his performance. He finished with 29 points and actually had his highest field goal percentage of this postseason (9-of-19, 47.4 percent) despite missing his first three shots before suffering the injury.
After the Rockets’ flight landed in Houston on Wednesday afternoon, Harden went straight to an eye doctor. While the results of that visit were not yet available, two team sources expected Harden’s vision to be completely clear by Saturday’s Game 3.