Nets guard James Harden will not play in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference semifinals Tuesday, per a team announcement.
Harden has played just 43 seconds in Brooklyn’s series against Milwaukee, quickly exiting Game 1 due to right hamstring tightness. He averaged 27.8 points and 10.6 assists in Brooklyn’s first-round win over the Celtics.
Kyrie Irving will join Harden on the Nets’ bench in Game 5. Irving suffered a right ankle sprain in Sunday’s Game 4 loss, leaving Kevin Durant as the lone healthy member of Brooklyn’s Big 3. Nets head coach Steve Nash said Sunday Irving’s injury does not impact the timetable of Harden’s potential return.
“I don’t want to rush [Harden] back and jeopardize doing something worse, or making this a long-term injury,” Nash said.
Each of the Nets’ three stars have missed significant time this season. Durant, Harden and Irving logged just 202 minutes together during the regular season, scoring an impressive 119.6 points per 100 possessions in the small sample.
Milwaukee tied the second-round series at two games apiece on Sunday. Tip-off for Tuesday’s Game 5 is slated for 8:30 p.m. ET.
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