James Harden Ruled Out vs. Heat

The Philadelphia 76ers will miss a key member of their starting lineup when they take on the Miami Heat on Friday night.

According to Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer, Sixers' star guard James Harden has been ruled out on Saturday afternoon. Per Pompey, Harden is getting a rest day as he manages a hamstring injury.

The superstar was dealing with hamstring tightness when the Sixers traded for Harden ahead of the 2022 NBA trade deadline. As a member of the Brooklyn Nets, Harden missed a few matchups leading up to the deadline.

Although Harden was slated to miss his fourth-straight game with Brooklyn, he was traded before the Nets proceeded with their matchup against the Washington Wizards, which Harden didn't travel for.

When Harden landed with the 76ers, he was ruled out for a few games. He missed the first two matchups as he wasn't with the team just yet and hadn't taken his physical.

Although the Sixers introduced Harden as a member of the team officially ahead of the Boston Celtics matchup before the All-Star break, the Sixers confirmed that Harden wouldn't make his Sixers debut before the break. In addition, Harden was slated to miss the 2022 NBA All-Star game.

Last Friday, Harden finally made his Sixers debut against the Minnesota Timberwolves. Two days later, he appeared on the court against the New York Knicks as well. After wrapping up last week's slate, Harden was also present in the matchups against the Knicks on Wednesday and the Cleveland Cavaliers on Friday.

As the Sixers are set to take on the Miami Heat on Saturday night for the second matchup of a back-to-back set, Harden will get a rest night.

From the beginning of the Harden era, the Sixers made it apparent that they would take it easy with his hamstring. While Harden's looked great through his first four matchups with Philadelphia, the team is focused on making sure he remains healthy down the stretch.

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

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