Rockets' James Harden 'happy to be OK' after flu

HOUSTON -- After sitting out a game while battling the flu, Houston Rockets guard James Harden will return to the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Denver Nuggets.

Harden missed Sunday's game at Phoenix with the flu. The Rockets were off the past two days.

"I really couldn't move, couldn't talk, couldn't speak because of my throat," Harden said Wednesday. "My body was shaking -- just the chills. It wasn't good. I'm happy to be OK and be able to move and get back out here."

Harden, who leads the NBA in points produced, is also nursing a sore left wrist. He took shots in Wednesday's shootaround without using a protective wrap.

Said Harden: "The wrist is what it is."

A leading contender for league MVP,Harden said recently that he thinks, in the current era of player rest, MVP candidates should be commended for being on the court every day. Harden, who had played in all 76 of the Rockets' games leading up to Sunday, has never played fewer than 73 in any 82-game season during his eight-year career.

He leads the league in assists per game (11.2), is tied for second in scoring (29.2 points per game) and is second among guards with 8.1 rebounds per game.

The Rockets also expect forward Trevor Ariza to play against the Nuggets after missing Sunday's game because of a death in his family.