Houston Rockets star James Harden is questionable for Sunday night’s game at New Orleans with a sprained right big toe, according to the team’s updated injury report.
It’s unclear when Harden suffered the injury. In Saturday’s win at home versus Brooklyn, the former MVP had 44 points, 10 rebounds, six assists, and four blocked shots in 40 minutes.
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Reporters noted that Harden did have a slight limp in the team’s locker room postgame, which potentially traced back to a sequence in the fourth quarter where he slipped and lost his footing. However, it’s unknown whether that was correlated with the toe injury.
Naturally, Harden still finished the game out. Entering Sunday, Harden had not missed any games of the 2019-20 season for the Rockets.
Asked about his ankle, Harden said simply, "It's good."
— ClutchFans (@clutchfans) December 29, 2019
The Rockets were already shorthanded for Sunday’s game, with Russell Westbrook sitting out for planned maintenance on night two of a back-to-back and Clint Capela out with a right heel contusion.
Clint Capela is OUT tonight with the right heel contusion. Russell Westbrook will sit on the second night of the back-to-back. James Harden is listed as questionable with a right toe sprain.
— Cayleigh Griffin (@cayleighgriffin) December 29, 2019
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Needless to say, Harden’s absence would be the most significant of all. The 30-year-old guard easily leads the the league at 38.3 points per game, and he’s also in the NBA’s top 10 in assists at 7.5 per game.
The Rockets will get some backcourt reinforcement for Sunday’s game with the return of Eric Gordon, who has missed over six weeks after undergoing knee surgery. However, Mike D’Antoni indicated Saturday that Gordon would be limited to about 25 minutes and probably would not start. It’s unclear whether Harden’s absence might change that plan.
D’Antoni said Eric Gordon will be restricted to 25 minutes tomorrow night
— Adam Spolane (@AdamSpolane) December 29, 2019
D’Antoni didn’t explicitly say Gordon will come off the bench tomorrow night, but he worded it that way. My guess is McLemore starts and Gordon comes off the bench.
— Adam Spolane (@AdamSpolane) December 29, 2019
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The next update on Harden’s status will likely come when D’Antoni meets with the media prior to Sunday’s game. With tip-off scheduled for 7 p.m. Central in New Orleans, D’Antoni is scheduled to talk with reporters at approximately 5:30 p.m.
The Pelicans (10-23) have won four of five games, so it’s a much more difficult game for the Rockets (22-10) than it might appear on paper. With two starters in Westbrook and Capela already confirmed to be out, Houston probably needs Harden on the floor to remain favorites.