The LA Clippers have dominated out level guard James Harden for Thursday evening’s highway recreation towards the defending NBA champion Oklahoma Metropolis Thunder due to a left calf contusion. Harden’s standing for Saturday’s dwelling recreation towards the Los Angeles Lakers is to be decided as nicely.
Harden, 36, initially injured himself Thursday in a 115-113 Clippers highway loss towards the Houston Rockets. He practiced Sunday with a sleeve on his left leg, in the future after the Clippers had a movie session and canceled a follow due to a scarcity of wholesome gamers.
LA coach Tyronn Lue by no means talked about Harden’s damage when assembly with the media over the weekend, however Harden performed by way of a game-time resolution tag Monday evening in a 121-103 dwelling loss to the Memphis Grizzlies. Apart from LA’s disastrous efficiency earlier this month on the highway towards the Miami Warmth that noticed the Clippers get outscored by 39 factors in Harden’s 19:51 of motion, Monday evening was Harden’s most ineffective full recreation of the season.
Requested Tyronn Lue about Ivica Zubac not being extra concerned in a non-Edey recreation (“each time he touches it, they double group him, so that you inform me”) and if James Harden (calf) ought to have simply been dominated out
“James desires to play each evening” pic.twitter.com/Iqs0Yobjq2
— Legislation Murray 🎄 (@LawMurrayTheNU) December 16, 2025
Harden tried solely 10 photographs on his option to scoring solely 13 factors in 31:17 on the court docket, failing to make any of his makes an attempt contained in the 3-point line and having moments when he did not get again on protection or field out after photographs. Afterward, Lue acknowledged Harden’s participation Monday evening towards the Grizzlies was extra of a valiant effort than any affirmation Harden was robust sufficient to play nicely.
“James desires to play each evening,” Lue mentioned after Monday’s loss dropped LA’s file to 6-20. “Simply having the mindset to attempt to intestine it out for us was large. And you possibly can inform he wasn’t himself all through the entire course of the sport. And we simply stored checking on him, stored making an attempt to observe it. And you realize, simply give him respect for simply making an attempt to get on the market.”
Harden is the main scorer (26.0 factors) and passer (8.1 assists) on a Clippers group bereft of shot creation outdoors of himself and star teammate Kawhi Leonard. When Harden is off the ground, the Clippers have scored solely 102.3 factors per 100 possessions, 14.8 fewer than when the three-time scoring champion is on the ground. For context, the Thirtieth-ranked offense of the Indiana Pacers scores 108.2 factors per 100 possessions this season.
This would be the second recreation Harden misses this season. The earlier absence was when Harden missed the Nov. 6 go to to the Phoenix Suns, a recreation that Leonard additionally sat out due to foot and ankle sprains. It was Bradley Beal’s penultimate recreation earlier than a season-ending hip fracture, and the sport Chris Paul performed solely the primary half earlier than being faraway from the rotation due to a coach’s resolution. LA misplaced that recreation in Phoenix 115-102. Paul is completely inactive till the Clippers discover a new group for him, leaving LA with guards Kris Dunn, Bogdan Bogdanović, rookie two-way contract Kobe Sanders and two-way contract RayJ Dennis.
Oklahoma Metropolis shall be internet hosting the Clippers after shedding within the NBA Cup semifinals Saturday evening towards the San Antonio Spurs. The Thunder have been initially scheduled to host the Clippers on Wednesday earlier than the NBA moved the sport to Thursday to keep away from a possible back-to-back for Oklahoma Metropolis; as an alternative of an NBA Cup championship look, the 24-2 Thunder will play the Clippers with 4 days off and Harden out of the lineup.
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