James Harden Ends Topsy Turvy 12 Hours With 5 Points

James Harden has Kevin Durant’s incredible night to thank for the fact that nobody is talking about his absurd one.

He played 46 minutes on a banged up leg as the Nets took an unlikely 3 – 2 lead over Milwaukee.

James Harden hadn’t played since game 1 of the series due to a hamstring issue. It’s the same injury that kept him out for weeks of the end of the regular season. 

His rustiness showed as he went 1-for-10 from the field and 0-for-8 from range for just five points. As well as that, he had six rebounds, eight assists and four turnovers.

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“[I] woke up and was like, ‘You know what? Let’s go,'” Harden said. “I tried to go out there and do the best I can. Hopefully I gave my teammates some encouragement, some life.”

Luckily, teammate Kevin Durant produced a landmark 49 point performance to win the game for Brooklyn. The feat means the Nets are spared awkward conversations about why Harden was selected.

“I mean, it just shows how much he loves to play,” Durant said. 

“I was a little nervous for him because he hasn’t played in a while and that’s a physical team and his hamstring is one of those injuries that takes a while to heal. But he came out there and toughed it out, had eight assists and six rebounds.”

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“He missed some good looks all night. I know his legs are going to get back under him as time [goes] the next few days or so. Hopefully, next game he’ll start to knock some of those shots he usually makes down.

“We’ve got our work cut out for us in Game 6, man. It’s going to be our toughest game of the year.”