James Harden Exits Early vs. Jazz with Hamstring Injury

Reigning NBA MVP James Harden was forced to leave Wednesday's 100-89 loss against the Utah Jazz early because of a hamstring injury.

Per ESPN's Tim MacMahon, Houston Rockets head coach Mike D'Antoni announced Harden will be re-evaluated Thursday after experiencing tightness in his hamstring.

Per MacMahon, Harden noted they were just being "cautious," but the injury doesn't feel as serious as the one that caused him to miss seven straight games last January.

Per Awful Announcing's Shlomo Sprung, Harden went to Houston's locker room to be examined with 5:13 remaining in the fourth quarter.

Harden had 29 points, seven assists and five rebounds in 32 minutes before being removed. The six-time All-Star is off to another hot start. He ranks second in the NBA with 9.0 assists per game and 10th with 28.5 points per contest.

If Harden is forced to miss an extended period of time, Houston will turn to Eric Gordon in the backcourt alongside Chris Paul.

Thanks to their loss against Utah, the Rockets are off to a 1-3 start this season. They won a franchise-record 65 games in 2017-18 and advanced to the Western Conference Finals.