James Harden Offered Injury Update Following Win Over Lakers

Ever since getting traded to the Philadelphia 76ers, All-Star guard James Harden has been battling hamstring tightness.

After Harden missed three-straight games as a member of the Brooklyn Nets and was on pace to miss his fourth matchup before the big trade, it was clear he wasn't going to Philadelphia fully healthy.

That was apparent after the Sixers shut Harden down for the few games leading up to the 2022 NBA All-Star Game. After missing a few games and sitting out from his tenth All-Star appearance, Harden finally made his Sixers debut.

Since his Philly debut, Harden has appeared in 12 of the Sixers' last 14 games. In the two matchups he missed, the Sixers offered Harden rest nights as they've wanted to remain cautious with his hamstring tightness.

During Wednesday night's game against the Los Angeles Lakers, the star guard dealt with another minor setback as he took a knee to the quad.

Although he went down for a bit, Harden stayed in the game. He wrapped up the night by spending a total of 36 minutes on the court. While he managed to stay in the matchup as the Sixers defeated the short-staffed Lakers, Harden admitted he still felt the after-effects of the setback he suffered on Wednesday.

Harden's Injury Update

"It's a little sore," said Harden after the game. "I got just kneed in the quad. I felt like I was beat up a little bit tonight, but that's a part of it. Hopefully, it wasn't anything too serious. It was painful when it happened. It's just a little sore now. Hopefully, tomorrow it's just recovery, and I'll be ready to go for Friday."

Harden and the Sixers will get the day off on Thursday night. Then on Friday, they'll return to Crypto.com Arena to face the Los Angeles Clippers. Right now, it's unclear if Harden will be cleared to play or not -- but the star guard seems confident his most recent injury won't force him to miss any time moving forward.

Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated. You can follow him for live updates on Twitter: @JGrasso_.