Nets' Harden out, Green questionable for Game 4 vs. Bucks
MILWAUKEE — James Harden will not play in Game 4 of the Nets’ second-round series against the Bucks on Sunday, but veteran forward Jeff Green might be available.
Nets head coach Steve Nash listed Green as “questionable” for Game 4, a significant upgrade after his status had not budged since his first-round injury. Green strained the plantar fascia in his left foot in Game 2 of the Nets’ opening playoff series against the Boston Celtics. He described the injury as “almost like having a really, really bad sprained ankle, but on the bottom of your foot,” and said cutting, planting and exploding were hurdles he needed to cross.
“A cramp? I wish it was like a cramp,” Green said three days before the team upgraded his status. “It’s like you can’t put a lot of pressure, you know for me and the way I play. I can walk, obviously, but it’s a little bit of discomfort when I walk. You know, the pressure with the shoe, the cutting and everything.
“It’s been hard to really be me early on when I first did it. ... So, I am able to get back out there now and obviously run, but the cutting is something that hasn’t come back yet.”
Green’s status is not yet solidified but the upgraded status is a clear sign of progress in his injury recovery. Nash said both Green and Harden are progressing nicely, but Harden’s hamstring injury is his fourth run-in with the same hammy in a two-and-a-half months span. He injured it on March 31, aggravated the injury on April 5, suffered a setback in practice on April 19, then re-aggravated the hamstring again on June 5, 43 seconds into Game 1 against the Bucks.
“It sucks. It sucks because I want him to be out there,” Kevin Durant said after Harden’s injury. “I know how much he cares. I know how much he wants to be in this moment. It sucks. Wishing him a speedy recovery. Keep him involved as much as possible. It’s just a bad break.”
If Green returns for Game 4, he adds another defender the Nets can throw at Giannis Antetokounmpo, who went for 33 points and 14 rebounds in the Bucks’ 86-83 win on Thursday. Green’s return also adds another dimension to the Nets offense, reintegrating a 41% 3-point shooter as an option as a small-ball five.