The Brooklyn Nets upgraded guard James Harden’s status from out to doubtful for Game 5 of the Eastern Conference semifinal series against the visiting Milwaukee Bucks on Tuesday.
Per ESPN, Harden is expected to test his tight right hamstring during the Nets’ morning shootaround before the team makes a decision on his status for the game.
Harden, 31, played only 43 seconds in Game 1 before pulling up lame. Brooklyn won that contest as well as Game 2 before dropping the next two tilts in the best-of-seven series.
The nine-time All-Star and three-time NBA scoring champion averaged 24.6 points, 10.9 assists and 8.5 rebounds in 36 games with Brooklyn in the regular season. He was acquired by the Nets in a Jan. 13 trade with the Houston Rockets.
The Nets will play Tuesday’s contest without guard Kyrie Irving after an MRI confirmed that he sustained a sprained right ankle in Game 4 on Sunday.
–Field Level Media