* Tonight on NBA TV: Rockets vs. Wizards (7 ET)
WASHINGTON (AP) — Houston Rockets guard Chris Paul is scheduled to play Friday night against the Washington Wizards after missing three games with a strained groin, coach Mike D’Antoni said.
The Rockets, who have lost four straight, are 15-1 with Paul in the lineup and 10-7 without him.
D’Antoni said Houston doesn’t turn the ball over as much with Paul in the lineup and his return alleviates some of the pressure on the league’s leading scorer, James Harden.
“We ask so much from James,” D’Antoni said. “James is making every determining play, and he gets tired. There are moments he’s completely overloaded and he has a turnover.”
