Hey, James Harden might actually care

Good morning. Let’s basketball.

NOT DEAD YET: Houston trailed Portland by 15 points at halftime on a day reports claimed James Harden got Kevin McHale fired, tried to get Dwight Howard traded and -- if this is at all relevant -- cheated on famous girlfriend Khloe Kardashian. A nation prepared to rake the Rockets and Harden over the coals. Then Harden put up 34 points in the second half on 11-of-13 shooting (46 for the game) as Houston stormed back to win by 14 against the hottest non-Warriors team in the NBA. Nice work.

PHENOMENAL: Isaiah Thomas with a killer behind-the-head pass on the money to Jae Crowder for a critical corner three.

THAT’S WILD: A day after nailing a 35-foot buzzer beater, Steph Curry banks in a 45-foot buzzer beater. Sure.

SCORES GALORE ...

GSW 130, ORL 114
MIL 107, BOS 112
OKC 119, NOP 123
BKN 116, PHX 106
HOU 119, POR 105
SAS 96, UTA 78

STANDINGS UPDATE: Boston again has a one-game gap on Miami for No. 3 in the East. Portland drops into a tie with Dallas for No. 6 in the West, with Houston a game behind at No. 8 and Utah a half-game out in No. 9.

WHAT SUCCESS MEANS: I wrote about how the key to NBA success is managing expectations well. That obviously applies in life generally, as well.

EXPLAINING THE KA-WHY: Tom Haberstroh explains how biometrics helped turn Kawhi Leonard into a star.

LIKE A BOSH: Dwyane Wade on what Chris Bosh means to the Heat.

LEGEND IN THE MAKING: Ethan Sherwood Strauss on how Steph is pioneering a new type of greatness.

WOW: Breanna Stewart is on the precipice of winning her fourth straight national championship at UConn, something that’s never been done before. Wonderful piece by Harvey Araton on her power to make the exceptional normal. (I wonder if an NBA team might invite Stewart to Summer League.)

SAD: Mike Rutherford on how LSU’s awful season is dragging Ben Simmons down.

ADMISSION: Phoenix’s Ryan McDonough does something most GMs don’t: he admits he made a mistake by trading Isaiah Thomas.

HOLLOW: Hassan Whiteside’s defensive numbers no longer appear hollow. Sample sizes!

FREE JOE: Joe Johnson reached a buyout agreement with the Nets. Where will he land? Cleveland? Miami? Back in the ATL?

COOL: Steph gives a fan game-worn shoes on his birthday.

HMMM: Duke’s Grayson Allen has now suspiciously tripped two players in a month.

Happy Friday. See you next time.