Getty James Harden warms up for a game against the Thunder.
Brooklyn Nets star James Harden returned to the lineup against the Phoenix Suns after missing the previous game versus the Golden State Warriors. The one-time MVP put up 22 points and 10 assists while shooting 6-of-19 from the field and 3-of-8 from beyond the arc in the Nets’ 10-point loss to the Suns.
Harden didn’t play against the Warriors due to a right hand strain. He’s been dealing with pain in his non-shooting hand for about two weeks and played through the injury. However, he couldn’t suit up versus the Warriors due to a troubling reason.
James Harden Couldn’t Move His Hand
Harden woke up in his San Francisco hotel room early in the morning when the Nets were scheduled to face the Warriors. He had severe discomfort in his right hand and called his trainer when he realized he couldn’t move it.
“It happened probably a few weeks ago,” Harden said of the injury, via Nick Friedell of ESPN. “Probably two weeks ago. Just from falling, getting to the basket and hitting the ground, so it was already hurting me, but I was just playing through it. And I lifted weights the day before the game, before we left on the road, and I probably just irritated it or whatnot, so that next morning I woke up and I really couldn’t move my hand at all.
“It actually woke me up pretty early. So I was just calling the trainer just to figure out what the hell was going on, and then I got an MRI and it was a strain so it’s calmed down.”
The Nets lost to the Warriors sans Harden, who is averaging 22.9 points, 8.0 rebounds and 10.1 assists on the season. They have dropped five games in a row following the defeat to the Suns and are in sixth place in the Eastern Conference standings.
The good news is that Harden can once again move his right hand. The future Hall of Famer will continue to ice his hand to keep the swelling down and the Nets are certainly hopeful the injury won’t arise again.
Despite the Nets losing and Harden shooting only 31.6% from the floor against the Suns, head coach Steve Nash was proud of the way the Beard played. After all, Harden still managed to record a double-double despite not being 100%.
Nash Proud of Harden’s Effort
The Suns have the best record in the NBA. Without Kevin Durant and Joe Harris, Brooklyn faced the daunting task of beating Phoenix on the road, an assignment Nash knew would be difficult for his club to accomplish.
“I thought he looked good,” Nash said of Harden. “I think it’s a tough assignment. They’re long, a lot of two-way players, and they take away his space — and without Kevin or Joe out there to draw more attention, it’s a lot on him. But I thought he looked good and did a lot of good things and was close to having a huge game, so, proud of his effort.”
Harden is expected to play in the Nets’ next game against the lowly Sacramento Kings. Brooklyn should easily win that game since Sacramento only has 18 wins on the season.