Is James Harden playing tonight vs Celtics? Brooklyn Nets superstar's injury update

The Boston Celtics and Brooklyn Nets will meet in the first round of the 2021 NBA Playoffs in an Eastern Conference series with Game 1 set to take place on Saturday, May 22. The postseason game between the 7th seed Celtics and the 2nd seed Nets at the Barclays Center is scheduled to commence at 8:00 PM ET (Sunday, May 23 at 5:30 AM IST). However, social media has been abuzz over whether Nets superstar James Harden will feature in the game against the Celtics tonight. 

2021 NBA playoffs: Celtics vs Nets Game 1 preview

The Brooklyn Nets finished the regular season in second place on the Eastern Conference table, with 48 wins and 24 defeats. Steve Nash's side won the last five of their regular-season games and will be hoping to carry forward their excellent form heading into the playoffs. 

Meanwhile, The Boston Celtics finished the regular season in seventh place, securing their spot in the postseason following a win against the Wizards in their play-in game. During the regular season, the Nets and the Celtics met three times, with Brooklyn winning all three games. 

James Harden injury update: When will James Harden return to the Nets lineup?

Harden was on one in the two final games of the regular season after missing five weeks with a hamstring strain. For his part, James Harden missed 18 straight games from April to May due to a right hamstring injury. In total, he only played 36 games for Brooklyn and eight for the Houston Rockets before he was traded earlier in the campaign.

Nets head coach Steve Nash also spoke to the media on Friday and confirmed that Harden won't be on a minutes restriction against the Celtics. "James Harden won’t be on a minutes restriction in the playoffs," said Nash. 

Is James Harden playing tonight vs Celtics? 

By his own admission, Brooklyn Nets superstar James Harden is 100 per cent healthy and ready for the playoffs. After missing the Nets’ final regular-season game against the Cleveland Cavaliers due to injury management, Harden played down concerns on his health heading to the postseason. In fact, he erased all fears that he is not at his best yet with two, simple words: “I’m back."

Harden has been averaging 24.6 points, 8.5 rebounds and 10.9 assists per game this season. He is now set to start alongside Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving for the Nets in their first game of the postseason. 

Image Credits - James Harden Instagram