The Beard Returns: Philadelphia 76ers’ James Harden Recovers from Foot Injury

Shooting ward King James Harden is expected to return to the starting lineup for the Philadelphia 76ers on Mon after missing a month of activeness with a pick injury.

The 76ers come across the Houston Rockets on Monday eventide for the 3rd and final mettlesome of a three-game route trip. The 76ers are inwards the middle of a two-game mini-skid, after they went 8-3 inward their previous 11 games. Overall, the 76ers are 12-11 with recent road losses against the Cleveland Cavs and Memphis Grizzlies.

The 76ers had a 4-5 record book when Harden went downwardly inwards too soon November. He missed 14 games, and the 76ers posted a winning book at 8-6 without him. Since Harden’s injury, centre Book of Joel Embiid missed a match of games with a pes injury, and gunpoint ward Tyrese Maxey fractured his foot almost ii weeks ago.

With both Harden and Maxey out, top dog manager Doc Rivers relied on the 76ers’ depth. Backup shooting safety Shake John Milton led the 76ers in scoring ternary times in the cobbler's last vi games. Since Maxey’s injury, Milton averaged 20.4 ppg as the starter. Over the utmost trine weeks, computer backup guard De’Anthony Melton stepped upwards averaging 14 points per spunky patch filing in for Harden.

Harden to Return Versus Old Squad

Harden was ab initio diagnosed with a compensate pes tendon injury, and expected to lack quatern weeks of action. He cobbler's last played in a red ink against Washington D.C. Wizards inward betimes November when he sprained his flop foot.

Harden entered this flavour inward the best physical work he had been in years. a hamstring tendon accidental injury negatively unnatural his conditioning during his incumbency with the Brooklyn Nets, and his paunchy behaviour became meme fodder for trolls on societal media.

Before his injury, Harden averaged 22 points, 10 assists, and 7 rebounds per spirited inwards Nina from Carolina games this season. He pellet 44.1% from the floor, and 33.3% from 3-point range.

Harden spent ogdoad positive seasons with the Samuel Houston Rockets before they traded him to the Brooklyn Nets inwards later(a) 2020. Harden won the NBA MVP during the 2017-2018 flavor with the Rockets. During his clip inwards Houston, Harden averaged 29.6 points, 7.7 assists, and 6.0 rebounds per game. He also crack 36.2% from 3-point range.

Harden has not looked the likes of his older unsafe ego since he left Houston. Embiid criticized Harden’s lustreless carrying out inwards lowest year’s postseason and cited the halcyon years with the Rockets.

Obviously, I’m sure since we got him, everybody expected the Sam Houston James I Harden, but that’s non who he is,” said a frustrated Embiid moments after the 76ers were eliminated from the 2022 NBA Playoffs.

Harden took the critique to ticker and diligently worked on his physical conditioning inwards the offseason. It was a bad coincidence that Harden suffered a ft injury IX games into the season.

The Athletic reported that Harden and the 76ers testament target Mon night’s game against the Samuel Houston Rockets as his proceeds date.

76ers Now the #7 Seed

In the Eastern Conference playoff standings, the 76ers are inwards 7th come out and would follow headed to the Play-In Tournament if the flavor were to stop today.

The 76ers are in tertiary property in the rocky and tumble Atlantic Division. The Beantown Celtics opened upwardly a 5.5-game pencil lead over the Brooklyn Nets inwards indorsement place. Only deuce games part the Nets and last-place Knicks, with the 76ers and Toronto Raptors lumped in the middle.

The Celtics are vast favorites at -1600 odds to win the Atlantic Division, followed by the Nets at +1600 odds, and the 76ers at +2000 odds.

The 76ers were +1500 betting odds to win the 2022-23 NBA championship inward the preseason. They slipped to +1900 odds after Harden went down feather with his hoof injury. After the firstly quarter of the flavor is inwards the books, the 76ers are at present +2200 odds to win the title as the ninth-highest favourite on DrafKing’s NBA futures board.

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