NBA playoffs: WATCH James Harden’s mischievous antics with Joe Ingles on court
THE NBA playoffs are a crucial point of the season for any basketball team but James Harden and Joe Ingles still shared a moment you’d expect to see on the school playground.
Utah Jazz ran out 116-108 winners over Houston Rockers in Game 2 of their NBA semi-final playoffs to take the series to 1-1.
Joe Ingles’ 27-point scoring barrage ensured his side remain well and truly in the western conference series.
And with Ingles playing a starring role for the Jazz, he even allowed rival Harden to get some tips.
With just under three minutes left on the clock in the fourth quarter, and Harden’s Rockets trailing by 10 points, the American seized the opportunity to get any information he could.
As the Utah Jazz players went over for a quick team-talk with coach Quin Snyder, Harden joined the group huddle to listen in.
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If you give any team, especially in the postseason, that kind of confidence, it's pretty tough.
Albeit a brief instruction from Snyder, Ingles welcomed Harden into the huddle by putting his arm round him.
But Harden’s listening ears couldn’t inspire him to turn around the 10-point deficit as he endured a poor night by his standards, finishing with 32 points, six rebounds, and 11 assists.
“They came out with some thrust in that first half,” Harden told reporters after the game.
“They made shots, but they were wide-open shots. We came out a little too lackadaisical.
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“We were just kind of going through the motions and whatnot.
“The end of the second quarter and third quarter we picked it up, but it's a pretty good team out there.
“If you give any team, especially in the postseason, that kind of confidence, it's pretty tough.”
Game 3 takes place on Friday night in Utah with tip off at 3.30am UK time.