"Back hooping on Christmas Day! Only gift I need and some good food" - James Harden excited to play after returning from NBA health and safety protocols
NBA fans are excited about the Christmas Day schedule, and so is the Brooklyn Nets' James Harden. The Nets will be returning to action after a seven-day break due to the majority of their roster being in the NBA health and safety protocols.
The LA Lakers will play their first game at Crypto.com Arena tonight against the Nets. Perhaps the change of name will bring good fortune to a team that has been average at best since the start of the season.
James Harden, who has been in the league's health and safety protocols, is cleared to feature tonight against the Lakers. Unfortunately, the Nets are still missing Kevin Durant, and that will be a huge blow to their chances of stealing the victory against the Lakers tonight.
The three-time scoring champ took to Twitter to share his excitement with fans. Although his conditioning might be in question seeing as he has been inactive for a while, no big-time player will not be excited at the thought of playing on Christmas Day.
Harden took to Twitter and said:
"Back hooping on Christmas Day! Only gift I need and some good food lol"
Back hooping on Christmas Day ! Only gift I need and some good food lol
With both teams understaffed, it might not be the thrilling fixture many anticipated when both teams' schedules were released before the start of the season. Neither team will be playing at full strength but a win would be ideal, and it is on James Harden to deliver for the Nets, especially in the absence of KD and Kyrie Irving.
Can James Harden lead the Nets to a win over the shaky Lakers?
The Lakers are having a terrible season, one that no one expected, and it would be up to James Harden to take advantage of that. Although they will remain on top of the Eastern Conference standings with a loss, they would not want to lose to one of the heavyweights in the league.
James Harden was not at his best before entering the safety protocols. That makes him a lot less dependable, especially having dealt with COVID.
The Christmas Nets 🎄 🏀
James Harden is one of three players all-time to have averaged 25.0+ ppg, 5.0+ rpg and 5.0+ apg on Christmas Day all-time. LeBron and Kyrie are the other two.
The first time the Nets play a Western Conference team in a Christmas Day game.
Regardless, the Nets can count on DeAndre' Bembry to cause some problems for the Lakers. He is a great cutter and has built outstanding chemistry with James Harden. If The Beard can read his moves and supply the dimes, they have a chance of defeating the flat-footed Lakers team.
It will be a LeBron James vs James Harden matchup, as they are the biggest superstars in both teams. Many were excited to see KD face-off against LeBron, but they might have to wait until January 25.
So far this season, James Harden is averaging 20.8 points, 7.8 rebounds, 9.6 assists, and 1.4 steals. To help the team succeed, he will need to do a lot better moving forward, especially as a scorer.