Is James Harden playing tonight against the Phoenix Suns? | 2021-22 NBA season
The Brooklyn Nets, led by James Harden, are gearing up to take on the Phoenix Suns in a matchup between two teams with championship aspirations.
The Nets have been knocked back as off late with their superstars going down injured and Kyrie Irving being ineligible to play in home games for Brooklyn. They have lost their last four matches and are currently holding on to the sixth seed in the Eastern Conference standings with a 29-20 record.
James Harden's team is still only two games behind leaders the Chicago Bulls but are in desperate need of an improvement in their play if they are to gain home court advantage in the postseason.
James Harden since Christmas:
27.3 PPG
8.4 RPG
10.8 APG
45.1 FG% https://t.co/Dj2iYidEvx
One of the reasons why the Nets have been lacking consistency is due to their three superstars hardly playing together and missing a lot of games all season either because of injuries or unavailability. Harden has missed seven games this campaign and the Brooklyn Nets have lost four of them. But despite his absences, Harden is considered to be more of a constant fixture in the starting lineup than Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving.
James Harden is questionable for tonight's game against the Phoenix Suns
For tonight's game against Western Conference heavyweights the Phoenix Suns, Brooklyn Nets superstar James Harden is listed as questionable
Injuries have plagued the superstar over the last few seasons of his illustrious career and as mentioned earlier, The Beard has already missed time during this campaign.
James Harden tonight:
37 PTS
10 REB
11 AST
13-24 FG
4-8 3P
It’s his 8th 30-point triple-double with the Nets, already by far the most in franchise history. The next player (Jason Kidd) has 3. https://t.co/HSmggkVlm5
The primary injury plaguing James Harden over the last couple of years has been hamstring-related. The right hand sprain that he suffered is something relatively new and is being monitored on a day-to-day basis. This means that his availability will in all likelihood boil down to a game-time decision from head coach Steve Nash.
But with Irving available for the game since it is being played in Phoenix, Nash will ponder the decision to risk playing Harden tonight. The Nets have embarked on a five-game road trip that will see them play the Utah Jazz and the Denver Nuggets after this matchup.
It has been an uncomfortable run of games for the Nets as they continue to play without their superstar Kevin Durant and another key starter in Joe Harris. But with Irving available for these road games, Harden and Kyrie could very well establish chemistry on the court that will benefit the Nets in the long run. Harden can run the offense as a floor general while the scoring burden lies on the shoulders of Kyrie Irving just until the Slim Reaper returns to action for the Brooklyn Nets.