NEW YORK -- Brooklyn Nets guard James Harden will miss at least 10 days with a right hamstring strain, but teammate Kevin Durant made his return Wednesday against the New Orleans Pelicans.
Harden played just four minutes before he was ruled out of Monday's 114-112 win over the New York Knicks. He had missed the two previous games.
One of the front-runners for league MVP, Harden is averaging 25.2 points, 8.0 rebounds and 10.9 assists per game for the Nets.
Durant, meanwhile, returned to the Nets Wednesday after missing the past 23 games after suffering a right hamstring strain Feb. 13. He had played only seven games alongside Kyrie Irving and Harden. Since then, the Nets have added Blake Griffin and LaMarcus Aldridge to their roster.
Initially, Durant had been ruled out for just two games, but subsequent imaging revealed a more severe strain. Last week, Durant said he had been sidelined much longer than he had expected.
He had moved to the "day-to-day" phase of his hamstring rehabilitation, even working out on the Barclays Center court ahead of the Nets' game against the Knicks on Monday.
Durant has played in just 19 of the Nets' 51 games this season. He was placed in the league's health and safety procedures twice after coming into contact with someone who tested positive for coronavirus, missing a total of two weeks.
He is averaging 29.0 points, 7.3 rebounds and 5.3 assists per game this season.
