The Cleveland Cavaliers announced that star guard James Harden suffered a fractured right thumb during Cleveland’s 109-94 win over the New York Knicks Tuesday night. Harden played 32 minutes and finished with 20 points, four assists and two rebounds, but a subsequent evaluation of his thumb confirmed the fracture.
It’s unclear how long Harden will be sidelined — if at all. Rather than already being ruled out, Harden is listed as questionable for Wednesday night’s matchup with the Milwaukee Bucks, the second night of a back-to-back. The team said Harden will continue to undergo treatment and evaluations for the injury. Given it’s Harden’s non-shooting hand, there is a chance he could still play despite any added difficulties the injury may bring.
“A postgame examination by the Cavaliers’ medical staff, followed by X-rays taken [Wednesday], confirmed a non-displaced fracture of the distal phalanx,” the team said. “Harden will undergo treatment and continued evaluation. An update on his status will be provided as appropriate.”
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From the initial announcement, it sounds like Cleveland avoided a complete disaster with Harden not being immediately ruled out for a significant amount of time. The Cavs have gone 6-1 since trading for Harden in early February. He has established immediate chemistry with Donovan Mitchell in the backcourt, giving Cleveland someone who can take offensive pressure off Mitchell in a way Darius Garland couldn’t.
Harden is averaging 18.9 points, eight rebounds and 4.6 assists per game as a member of the Cavs. Before the trade, he averaged 25.1 points, 8.1 rebounds and 4.8 assists in 44 games for the Los Angeles Clippers this season.
Cleveland (37-22) is tied with the Knicks for third in the East. If Harden has to miss time, they could slip in the standings as the Toronto Raptors (34-24) sit just 2.5 games behind them. Dropping a spot in the standings would be a small price to pay if it means having a fully healthy Harden available for the postseason.
