Celtics vs. 76ers: James Harden's Preseason Debut On Hold Still

James Harden, for the second-straight game, will not face the Boston Celtics.

When the Philadelphia 76ers take the court on Wednesday night for their second preseason outing against the Boston Celtics, James Harden won’t be a participant.

According to The Philadelphia Inquirer’s Keith Pompey, Harden is once again among a group of Sixers who will miss the matchup.

Harden won’t be alone. In addition to the ten-time All-Star guard, the Sixers will miss the MVP center Joel Embiid and the injured Furkan Korkmaz.

Lately, Korkmaz has been battling a leg strain. When the Sixers returned to practice on Tuesday afternoon, head coach Nick Nurse assumed it might take some time for the Turkish sharpshooter to get back into action. That much is confirmed, as Korkmaz is set to miss his second-straight game.

As for Harden and Embiid, they remain injury-free. So far, the Sixers have remained cautious with the two stars by holding them out despite getting their full participation in practice.

Since Harden returned to the 76ers after missing the first training camp session last Tuesday, the disgruntled guard has remained active in practice despite having a trade request on the table. Currently, the Sixers aren’t close to making any deals to ship out Harden, which leaves him on the roster for the time being.

With Harden not set to appear in Wednesday’s matchup against Boston, the next chance he’ll get to step on the court will be next Monday, when the Sixers pay a visit to the Brooklyn Nets on the road. 

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