Philadelphia 76ers say James Harden out through All-Star break with hamstring strain

The Philadelphia 76ers announced Monday that superstar guard James Harden will miss the team's final two games before the All-Star break — Tuesday at home against the Celtics and Thursday in Milwaukee against the defending champion Bucks — as well as the All-Star Game in Cleveland this weekend as he continues to rehab the hamstring strain that kept him out for the final few games of his Nets tenure.

«I think it's more to make sure he's right, healthy and ready to go,» 76ers coach Doc Rivers told reporters following Monday's practice, when asked why the decision was made to sit Harden down for the next week.

Harden will officially be introduced Tuesday afternoon ahead of the game against the Celtics. But because he won't play this week, his first chance to play in a 76ers uniform will now be Feb. 25 in Minnesota against the Timberwolves — and his first possible home game as a 76er will be March 2 against the Knicks on ESPN.

Harden was seen shooting with fellow guard Tyrese Maxey, who Rivers has already said will continue to start in Philadelphia's backcourt alongside Harden after replacing Ben Simmons as the team's starting point guard this season. Rivers said Harden went through everything with the team Monday.

«We didn't do anything live, but he did all the skeleton [drill] work, all the defensive walk-through stuff, all the shooting,» Rivers said. «He did everything everybody else did. Obviously he's a high-IQ basketball player, so the stuff we do, he does anyway, and the other stuff we threw him out there and he kind of figured it out.»

What is already a compressed schedule to get Harden into the flow of what the 76ers are doing has only been tightened further by his delayed debut. After this week's games are