BEVERLY HILLS, April 1, (THEWILL) – The National Basketball Association (NBA) leading team of the Eastern Conference, the Brooklyn Nets, have announced that star guard James Harden left the team’s home game against the Houston Rockets on Wednesday with some tightness in his right hamstring and did not return for the night.
Steve Nash, head coach for the team provided this update after the team’s 120-108 win over the Houston Rockets.
Before leaving, Harden had scored 17 points, with eight rebounds and six assists in 27 minutes and there were 4:48 minutes left in the third quarter. Jeff Green was introduced in his place to see out the quarter.
It has been a tough season to navigate for the Nets. Intermittent absences of key players like Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving at various points this season have not made it easy to for them to compete. However, Harden’s presence since he joined in January has been instrumental in keeping the team leading the Eastern Conference so far.
Durant’s hamstring injury has sidelined him since Saturday, February 13 while Irving has missed 15 games. But, out of a possible 35 games, Harden has missed only two since his January move, prior to his forced exit on Wednesday. His immense contribution has led to MVP-level stats for Brooklyn, averaging 26.4 points on 46.7 percent shooting with 11.4 assists and 8.9 rebounds.
With him in the side, the Nets have had a win-loss ratio of 26-7 and led the Philadelphia 76ers by a half-game for first in the Eastern Conference table.
That is why not having him in the team will hurt the Nets. However, if Harden is forced to miss time, coach Nash will likely turn to Bruce Brown in the for the meantime. Also, Irving will likely be the primary ball-handler. Brooklyn’s next game is at home versus the Charlotte Hornets on Thursday.
About the Author
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
