The Brooklyn Nets are hoping to turn things around after their recent struggles. In order to do so, they'll need to defend their home floor against a talented Denver Nuggets squad. Well, their task just got a bit more difficult after it was announced, just one hour before tip-off, that James Harden would be sidelined from the game due to a hamstring ailment. Per NBA insider Marc Stein, Harden is dealing with left hamstring soreness, prompting Nets coach Steve Nash to leave him out of his plans for Wednesday's game.

Harden had initially been listed as questionable for Wednesday's game, but as tip-off inched closer the Nets were forced to downgrade him to “out.” Harden's absence will be a significant loss for the Nets, who are already without Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving, Nic Claxton, and Day'Ron Sharpe for Wednesday's contest.

With Harden on the sideline, the scoring honus for the Nets will now fall to the likes of Patty Mills and LaMarcus Aldridge, who rank as the fourth and fifth leading scorers for Brooklyn on the year. Mills is averaging 13.5 points per game, alongside 2.5 assists, and 2.1 rebounds. Aldridge, on the other hand, has averaged 13.4 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 0.9 assists.

Harden is due to miss his sixth game of the season with Wednesday's absence, and this will be his second absence in 2022, having been sidelined for a matchup against the Portland Trail Blazers on Jan. 10. This season, Harden is averaging 23.0 points, 8.1 rebounds, 10.1 assists while knocking down 42% of his field goal attempts and 33.7% of his shots from 3-point range.