James Harden hobbled off the court only 45 seconds into Game 1 of the Eastern Conference semifinals clash against Milwaukee Bucks. While the Nets trooped to a well-earned 115-107 win over the number three seed, they could be without Harden for the rest of the series.
The injury occurred as Harden attempted a drive against Jrue Holiday near the paint and proceeded to lob the ball to the corner after being cramped for room.
Right after the pass, the 31-year-old clutched his hamstring and eventually made his way off the court. The player did not return back into the contest as his teammates forged a vital win to kick start the series on home turf.
Harden had missed a fair share of games in the final phase of the regualar season due to a hamstring injury. It seems that the injury might be re-aggravated which could severly impact his participation in the series.
The franchise are anxiously waiting for the reports from the MRI scans the player underwent.
James Harden has left the arena to have imaging done on his right hamstring, ESPN reported
The former Rockets player had returned just in time to play the last couple of games of the regular season and played in all games of their 4-1 first round series win over Boston Celtics.
Nets coach Steve Nash termed the injury as ‘heartbreaking’ and revealed that he is yet to know about the severity of the same.
“You never want to see that for someone like James, who is such an important player and such an incredible player and cares so much.
“I’m heartbroken for him. I don’t know what’s going to happen. I don’t know if he’s playing the next game, if he’s out. I have no idea. But I’m heartbroken for him that he had to miss tonight.” Nash said
Griffin steps up in the absence of Harden
Blake Griffin had a major impact in the win by registering his first playoffs double double in five years. He received a standing ovation from the crowd as well following his stint in the game. The former rookie of year also managed to net as many threes as the Bucks in the contest.
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