James Harden Out For Second Straight Game Due to Thigh Injury

Harden also missed the Rockets' loss to the Nuggets on Sunday after hurting his thigh in Minnesota on Friday.

Rockets guard James Harden won't play in the Rockets' matchup against the Jazz on Monday, according to the Houston Chronicle's Jonathan Feigen.

Harden will miss Monday's game due to a thigh injury. He also sat out Houston's loss to Denver on Sunday. 

The NBA's scoring leader hurt his thigh in the third quarter of Friday's win over the Timberwolves. Harden collided with Minnesota center Karl-Anthony Towns, then exited the game before returning in the fourth quarter. Harden's absences on Sunday and Monday marks his first time missing two consecutive games since October 2018.

James Harden limps to the sideline.

Appeared to take a hit on the thigh from Karl-Anthony Towns’ knee. Harden not in the game after a timeout. pic.twitter.com/Sk9cbiDvqK

— Michael Shapiro (@mshap2) January 25, 2020

Perhaps the pair of missed games will lift Harden out of his recent funk when he and the Rockets face Portland on Wednesday. Harden is shooting just 22.3% from beyond the arc since Jan. 8, and he scored a career-low 12 points against Minnesota on Friday. The 2017-18 MVP is averaging just 23 points per game in his last five contests.

Russell Westbrook carried the Rockets' offense without Harden in Denver, but he will also be out of the lineup in Utah. Houston has set a strict rest regimen for Westbrook in 2019-20, making him sit out one game in every Rockets' back-to-back. The Rockets have three-more back-to-backs this season after Monday night. 

The rest schedule may cost Houston on Monday, but it has been paying dividends of late. Westbrook is averaging 31.5 points and 8.2 rebounds per game since New Year's Eve, shooting 52.3% from the field. 

Austin Rivers and Eric Gordon are likely to start for the Rockets on Monday in Harden and Westbrook's absence. 

Tip-off from Vivint Smart Home Arena in Salt Lake City is slated for 8 p.m. CT.