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James Harden will be back in a Brooklyn Nets uniform in no time, as far as head coach Steve Nash is concerned.
The Beard had to exit the Nets' home game against his old team Houston Rockets at Barclays Center on Wednesday after complaining about hamstring tightness.
While the Nets will still evaluate the extent of Harden's injury, it doesn't appear serious and he will be listed as day-to-day against the Charlotte Hornets on Thursday, per Malika Andrews of ESPN.
Steve Nash said that the team will determine James Harden's status for the back-to-back tomorrow against Charlotte after seeing how he feels in the morning. Nash said they're "optimistic" Harden won't be out long-term.
— Malika Andrews (@malika_andrews) April 1, 2021
A superstar playing in the second night of a back-to-back has actually become a rarity these days, making it highly likely that James Harden's injury scare will keep him out against the Hornets. Still, it's a good development for Brooklyn, especially with their other superstar Kevin Durant still unavailable with a hamstring issue of his own.
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Even without Harden to finish the game, the Nets still turned back the pesky Rockets team, 120-108. It was a closely-contested match for the most part, as Houston even held a big lead in the first half. Harden finished with 17 points (5-of-10 FG) with eight rebounds and six assists in 27 minutes of action before leaving the match.
The 31-year-old megastar figured in a chippy battle with Rockets defender Avery Bradley for almost the entire time prior to his injury.
The win propelled the Nets to the best record in the Eastern Conference, leap-frogging the Philadelphia 76ers as they gained solo lead with a 33-15 win-loss slate. Harden has been an integral part of Brooklyn's rise as legitimate contenders this season. He has erased doubts about his fit with fellow superstars Durant and Kyrie Irving, assuming the role of facilitator for the star-studded roster.
Even with Harden also out, Steve Nash won't have a shortage of talent to play with since LaMarcus Aldridge is expected to make his Nets debut sometime this week.
