James Harden Brushes Off Minor Setbacks Before Mavericks Matchup

When James Harden was traded to the Philadelphia 76ers, the All-Star guard was battling hamstring tightness. Prior to the blockbuster trade that moved him from

When James Harden was traded to the Philadelphia 76ers, the All-Star guard was battling hamstring tightness. Prior to the blockbuster trade that moved him from the Brooklyn Nets to the Sixers, Harden was on pace to miss his fourth-straight game.

After landing with the Sixers, Harden didn't just magically heal up right away. After it took two games for the trade to finally go through, the 76ers shut Harden down for a couple of games ahead of the 2022 NBA All-Star break. 

Harden also missed his tenth All-Star appearance as he decided to sit out from the big game to continue allowing his body to heal. Then, the superstar sharpshooter was ready to make his big debut with the Sixers right when they returned from the break.

Finally, on February 25, Harden made his Sixers debut against the Minnesota Timberwolves. After appearing on the court for 35 minutes, the star guard mentioned his hamstring was feeling great.

From then on, Harden appeared on the court for four-straight games. During that time, he averaged 36 minutes. Then, the Sixers offered Harden his first break as they had a planned rest day in store for the veteran.

After sitting out of the March 5 matchup against the Miami Heat, Harden returned to the floor and played in the next five games for the Sixers, including their most recent victory against the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Following Wednesday's big win over Cleveland, Harden hinted that he's dealing with some minor setbacks he wouldn't explain further -- but made it clear that he's more than healthy enough to keep pushing through.

"I got a little couple of whatever whatevers, but it's a long season," the guard said following his 42-minute shift in Cleveland, Ohio. "You just got to push through it, be mentally strong and find ways to come away with a win. Playing 42 minutes tonight, I'm happy we won."

After getting the day off on Thursday, the Sixers are set to host the Dallas Mavericks at home on Friday. Harden, who could see a rest day soon as Doc Rivers hinted there's a plan in place for the star guard, has yet to pop up on the injury report since he received a rest day a couple of weeks back.

Barring any unexpected changes, Harden is on pace to make his sixth-straight start on Friday against the Dallas Mavericks.

Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated. You can follow him for live updates on Twitter: @JGrasso_.