Brooklyn Nets' James Harden (neck) 'not a guarantee' for Friday vs. Pistons

After sitting out against the Utah Jazz on Wednesday with neck soreness, Brooklyn Nets star James Harden's status for Friday's game against Detroit is up in the air.

Head coach Steve Nash said that Harden's availability will depend on how he feels on Thursday and Friday morning.

"He's pretty banged up," Nash said of Harden after Brooklyn's 118-88 loss to the Jazz. "We hope he can play, but that's not a guarantee."

Nash said that Blake Griffin, who sat out the second night of the Nets' back-to-back for injury maintenance, will be available against the Pistons, his former team.

The Nets were also without Kevin Durant, Landry Shamet and Kyrie Irving, all of whom did not make the trip to Salt Lake City. Nash said that it is unlikely Shamet, who suffered a minor ankle sprain on Sunday against the Washington Wizards, will join the team in Detroit but did not rule it out.

Harden continues to deal with neck soreness suffered after he collided with Garrison Mathews in the team's win over the Washington Wizards on Sunday. After the collision, he stayed down on the court for several minutes while being tended to by medical staff. He stayed in that game and said afterward he felt a twitch in his neck.

Harden was listed as questionable ahead of the Nets' game against the Trail Blazers on Tuesday night. After he warmed up, the team decided he would be available to play. Harden said he came "very close" to not playing on Tuesday.

"I love to be out there and taking on the challenge of finding ways to win games," Harden said Tuesday night. "Obviously, when you're hurt, you're hurt. You sit out. But I try to find a way to just go out there and make an impact and play if I'm able to, if I'm not risking anything, if that makes sense."

He continued: "I think everybody knows I love to play. I don't really rest. I love to hoop. I love to be out there and be there for my teammates. I feel like if I'm on the court, my teammates have a better chance of winning. So that's just my mindset."

Wednesday night marked the second game Harden has missed for the Nets since he was traded in January.