James Harden out at Least 2 Games with Hamstring Injury

Butch Dill/Associated Press

The Houston Rockets will be forced to play at least two games without James Harden after the reigning NBA MVP suffered a hamstring injury Wednesday night against the Utah Jazz. 

The team announced Thursday that he was diagnosed with a Grade 1-Plus hamstring strain and he will be re-evaluated before the next road trip, which begins with a Friday game against the Brooklyn Nets.

Harden exited Wednesday’s loss with tightness in his hamstring and initial reports said he would miss just one game, according to Kelly Iko of the Athletic.

It now appears he could miss even more time.

It’s been a common injury for Harden over the past two seasons. The six-time All-Star missed seven games during the 2017-18 season with a strained hamstring. His absence didn’t prevent the Rockets from leading the Western Conference with 65 wins. 

Things have been more difficult for Houston to start the 2018-19 campaign. The reigning Southwest Division champions stumbled out of the gate with three losses in their first four games. 

Losing Harden for any length of time creates a huge void in the Rockets’ lineup. He leads the team in scoring (28.5 points per game) and assists (9.0). Eric Gordon will take over as a starter for head coach Mike D’Antoni.