Clippers’ James Harden ruled out vs. Thunder amid nagging calf injury appeared first on ClutchPoints. Add ClutchPoints as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
James Harden and the Los Angeles Clippers continue to struggle through mid-Decemberand things aren’t looking to get any easier the rest of the month.
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After playing in 25 of the first 26 games, Harden is set to miss his first game of the 2025-26 season due to an injury. Harden missed a game due to personal reasons back on November 6 against the Phoenix Suns, but this will be the first game of the season he’ll miss due to injury.
Harden did not practice Saturday with a left calf contusion, but did participate Sunday, and was deemed questionable coming into Monday night’s game against the Memphis Grizzlies. He was able to play 31 minutes albeit not moving all that well, finishing with just 13 points and six assists on 4-of-10 shooting.
“James wants to play every night,” head coach Tyronn Lue said following the Clippers’ loss to the Grizzlies. “Just having the mindset to try to gut it out for us was huge. You could tell he wasn’t himself throughout the whole course of the game. We just kept checking him and kept trying to monitor it, and I just give him respect for trying to get out there.”
The Clippers guard did not travel with the team to Oklahoma City for their matchup against the Thunder Thursday night. His status for the team’s home game against the Los Angeles Lakers on Saturday evening is also in question.
Nicolas Batum, who had missed the last few days of practice in Los Angeles, traveled with the team to Oklahoma City and is not listed on the team’s injury report. Derrick Jones Jr. remains out with the sprained MCL, but was seen doing some on-court work during a recent Clippers practice.
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In 25 games this season, James Harden has averaged 26.0 points, 5.2 rebounds, 8.1 assists, and 1.3 steals on 44 percent shooting from the field and 37.6 percent from three. It’s the best scoring season Harden is having since his last full season with the Houston Rockets in 2019-20.
Related: NBA rumors: Hornets trade LaMelo Ball to Clippers in Bill Simmons’ mind-blowing proposal
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