James Harden has been upgraded from day-to-day to questionable for a crucial Game 5 encounter at home vs Milwaukee Bucks.
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The Brooklyn Nets were dealt a body blow in the form of injury to their star point guard. James Harden was on course to finish on the MVP podium before a hamstring injury had him sidelined for over 20 games.
Harden was able to come back and play his role in a 5-game rout of the Boston Celtics. He was expected to be the major focus of defensive attention for the Bucks.
The Beard suffered his injury in the first minute of the playoff series. Brooklyn were able to deal with his absence for their home games with Kyrie and KD shooting at their season averages.
But Game 3 was a different matter as a bad shooting night meant they lost game 3 in Milwaukee. With Kyrie Irving now out, the Nets are in sore need of a guard to facilitate their shooters and other role players.
Is James Harden playing tonight vs Milwaukee Bucks?
ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reports that Harden is going to check his status out in pre-game warmups today. James suffered what was reported as a hamstring strain, which is a pretty vague description.
Given that Steve Nash is a former player who understands long-term repercussions of such a move, we can expect the Nets to show prudence in how to field Harden, if at all.
A loss in this year’s playoffs could still be only a footnote in the long run if the Big 3 stick together and manage their fitness levels.
Harden is expected to test his hamstring in shoot-around today and has been determined to try and find a way to get cleared to play Game 5, sources tell ESPN. There are no guarantees on his status but Harden is trying to play with series 2-2. https://t.co/gYCTIKXXl8
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) June 15, 2021
Most medical experts believe that Harden has a high chance of reinjuring himself if he plays tonight. But then, they don’t know his body like the Beard does.
