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After Kevin Durant was rested for the Nets’ 22-point win in Oklahoma City on Friday, now James Harden is listed as questionable for Sunday’s recreation at Washington.
Harden was placed on the harm report with a left thigh contusion, after having performed marathon minutes since arriving Jan. 16 in a four-team megadeal. He hasn’t missed a recreation but for Brooklyn, with the Nets 6-2 because the commerce.
The three-time reigning scoring champion has averaged a league-high 38.1 minutes, which might additionally match his profession excessive from 2015-16. That has risen even increased since coming to Brooklyn, averaging 39.9 for the Nets.
Harden is averaging 24.3 factors, an NBA-leading 11.8 assists and seven.8 rebounds because the commerce. He has three triple-doubles coming into Sunday’s recreation towards the last-place Wizards.
The Nets haven’t been a defensive-minded membership, and have been even much less so since buying and selling away rim-protecting heart Jarrett Allen. However they’re anticipating new free agent signee Norvel Pelle to affix them earlier than Sunday’s recreation in Washington.
The 27-year-old Pelle hasn’t performed since final yr’s postseason with the Philadelphia 76ers, so it’s unclear how a lot floor he’ll need to make up bodily and conditioning-wise. Nonetheless, his addition if nothing else ought to present some competitors for two-way Reggie Perry.
DeAndre Jordan has been the beginning heart by default. The Nets have had to make use of 6-foot-8, 235-pound stretch 4 Jeff Inexperienced as his backup, together with Perry. The latter is a uncooked second-round decide who has been struggling, however is coming off his first profession double-double within the win at Oklahoma Metropolis.
“Only a willingness to get higher and likewise only a excessive degree of understanding of himself. Simply as a competitor,” Kyrie Irving stated of Perry. “Generally rookies are available, they’ll are available very tentative, particularly being drafted into a terrific workforce like this.
“However he’s simply accepting his position and we would like him to proceed to study and to be doing that on the fly as a younger man coming straight from school, it’s very spectacular. So we simply need him to proceed to work laborious, to proceed to study from us. A couple of of us right here have been some issues, and we simply need to make certain we depart the sport in a greater area with Reggie as he will get higher on this league.”
The addition of Pelle nonetheless leaves the Nets with two open roster spots. One will probably be held to utilize the buyout market, whereas one needs to be crammed Saturday. The Nets might promote Perry or Chris Chiozza from two-ways to straightforward offers, however a free agent signing is extra probably.
Nic Claxton remains to be out with proper knee tendinopathy.
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