NBA Playoffs: James Harden is a hard one to handle, says Steve Kerr

James Harden led the Houston Rockets to a win over Golden State Warriors and Warriors coach Steve Kerr praised the star.

Published : May 07, 2019 22:26 IST

Warriors coach Steve Kerr labeled James Harden "tough to handle" after the Rockets star led Houston to victory Monday in Game 4 of the teams' Western Conference semifinal playoff series.

Harden had a double-double (38 points, 10 rebounds) to lead the Rockets to the 112-108 triumph, bringing the series even, 2-2.

READ | Bucks win third straight game vs Celtics; Rockets even score with Warriors

Kerr said it was clear what the reigning NBA MVP was capable of, but he backed the Warriors to improve against the Rockets star.

"He's always been pretty good. It's hard for me to look back and compare from one year to the next because last year he was the MVP," Kerr told reporters. "And, [in a] seven-game series, he's tough to handle obviously. He's a great player and has a lot of ways to score and get to the rim, so we've just got to stay with it.

"But I think we've done this plenty of times, so we know what we have to do."

RELATED | NBA: James Harden hails Rockets' aggression against Warriors

Both teams have won their home games to begin the series, which returns to Oracle Arena for Game 5 on Wednesday.

Kerr lamented the Warriors' lack of control in Game 4, despite 34 points from Kevin Durant and 30 from Stephen Curry.

"I thought we played plenty hard enough, but I think force has to be accompanied by poise," he said.

"It felt like we were in a rush offensively all night, and we're at our best when we've got a bunch of playmakers out there and the ball's moving and we're attacking, but with the idea that we're going to get great shots and I didn't think we got great shots for much of the night.

"I thought we were just in a rush just to create pace. The pace is good, but we've got to get better shots and we're definitely capable of that. We've got to be more poised and that has to be a focus."

With the series assured of a Game 6, action will move back to Houston on Friday. Game 7, if necessary, would be Sunday in Oakland.

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