Brooklyn Nets star James Harden suffered a hamstring injury right at the start of Game 1 against the Milwaukee Bucks on Saturday night. It was no matter, as the Nets cruised to a 115-107 victory behind Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving.
However, with Harden out, Brooklyn also needed others to step up. Starters Blake Griffin and Joe Harris both contributed in a big way, but the Nets also got a massive contribution from one of their less-heralded bench players.
That would be guard Mike James, who wound up playing 30 minutes thanks to Harden's injury. James delivered, going for 12 points on 5-of-11 shooting from the field and 2-of-4 from 3-point range. He added seven rebounds and three assists without turning the ball over. Brooklyn outscored Milwaukee by 12 points with James on the court.
Nets head coach Steve Nash loved what he saw from his reserve guard:
“It’s happened to us all year where something’s happened, some sort of adversity, someone goes down and the next man’s up,” Nets coach Steve Nash said, via Jonathan Lehman of the New York Post. “Mike, who would have thought before the game he’d play 30 minutes?
“Scored the ball, rebounded, made a few plays and hustled. It was great to see guys who haven’t been in the rotation get an opportunity, step up and play well.”
What makes this even more impressive is that Mike James was a late addition to this Nets roster this season. Brooklyn brought him over from Europe on a 10-day contract in late April. He earned a second 10-day deal and then signed on for the rest of the season.
The 30-year-old is now playing big playoff minutes, and he could be in line for more depending on the severity of Harden's injury. Who would have thunk it?
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