Nets star has hamstring strain

James Harden left Wednesday’s game against the Houston Rockets with hamstring strain, the Nets have announced.

The Nets star had 17 points with eight rebounds and six assists in 27 minutes against his former team, leaving the game with 4:48 to go.

“We will watch him. I don’t have much to tell you, ”said coach Steve Nash after the 120-108 victory that put the Nets alone atop the Eastern Conference standings. “We are convinced that this is not a long term thing.”

The Nets had better hope than not.

Harden carried the Nets as they were without two members of their Big 3, including Kevin Durant – sidelined since February 13 with hamstring strain. A Harden absence would put even more pressure on Kyrie Irving, who returned on Monday after a family leave.