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The Brooklyn Nets took Game 1 over the Milwaukee Bucks in convincing fashion, but it wasn't without cost. James Harden was forced to exit the game with a hamstring injury.
James Harden is heading to the locker room with an apparent hamstring injury pic.twitter.com/r8hmUGHF05
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) June 5, 2021
The Nets star did not return to the game after exiting after less than a minute of on-court action. Kevin Durant couldn't help but let out his frustrations on the matter, via New York Post's Brian Lewis.
Kevin Durant on James Harden injury: “This sh1t sucks. I want him out there, want him to be out there in the moment….It’s just a bad break.” #Nets #NBA #Bucks
— Brian Lewis (@NYPost_Lewis) June 6, 2021
Kevin Durant said the Nets had run a play for James Harden and he noticed Harden wasn't in his spot and saw him grimacing. "It sucks."
— Alex Schiffer (@Alex__Schiffer) June 6, 2021
Tough break for the Nets, but especially for James Harden himself. The Beard had missed 18 games with a hamstring injury during the regular season, which limited his chances to build chemistry with Durant and Kyrie Irving.
The Nets won comfortably over the Bucks, 115-107, in a game that they led by as much as 19 points in the fourth quarter. Durant and Irving were surprisingly average in this one, as they combined for just 54 points on total shots. The Nets instead received timely production from their role players, as Blake Griffin and Joe Harris dropped 18 and 19 points respectively. They even got a surprise contribution from bench guard Mike James, who poured in 12 points and seven rebounds as he took over most of Harden's minutes.
But the 1-0 lead feels a bit empty given the injury news. Harden's status will definitely hover over their squad like a dark cloud until an official diagnosis is laid out, which hopefully is a positive one.
