The Philadelphia 76ers will have to step on the floor in Miami less their shiny new star. The team told reporters this afternoon that James Harden would miss the second leg of Philadelphia’s back-to-back against the Heat on Saturday night.
Harden will be out with what the Sixers call “left hamstring recovery”. It is part of his scheduled management program. The Beard missed his first couple games with the team as he recovered from a hamstring injury suffered towards the end of his time in Brooklyn.
He’s played in 4 games as a Sixer, and his star-level impact has certainly been felt. Philly is +69 in the 146 minutes Harden has been on the court. The team is 4-0 in those games, and has looked every bit of an elite offense.
Philadelphia is just 2 games behind Miami for the top seed in the Eastern Conference. With 2 games left in their head-to-head season series, there is ostensibly much at stake in these last two matchups.
It appears as though the playing field may be level on Saturday night, though. Kyle Lowry will not play due to personal reasons. Jimmy Butler is questionable with an irritated left big toe.
According to Caesars Sportsbook, Miami is favored by 5.5 points in this game.
James Harden is out tonight against the Heat due to left hamstring recovery. This is part of his scheduled management program. #Sixers
— Ky Carlin (@Ky_Carlin) March 5, 2022