James Harden Makes Admission After Return From Injury

Sunday’s 106-102 win of the Cleveland Cavaliers over the Brooklyn Nets at the Barclays Center was a tense, lead-change affair that Cleveland closed out without Donovan Mitchell and Dean Wade in the lineup. The victory snapped a two-game skid and put a spotlight on a gutsy comeback effort from a player who had been questionable all weekend.

James Harden, who returned after missing two games, dropped 22 points, nine rebounds and eight assists to close the night.

He sustained a right thumb injury in Tuesday’s win over the New York Knicks. X-rays taken on Wednesday confirmed a non-displaced fracture of the bone at the tip of the thumb. Harden was candid about the decision to come back quickly.

“See if I can dribble,” he said. “If I can dribble, I can play. I still couldn’t dribble how I wanted to, but it was good enough.” Harden chose to go the rest and rehab way instead of getting surgery. His decision shortened the timeline, but is still posing slight difficulties.

Why James Harden Skipped Surgery?

Medical staff and Harden judged the break to be non-displaced, meaning the bone fragments remained aligned.

“That’s too much time out,” Harden explained Sunday. “Thought about playing last game. Thought about playing in Milwaukee. There’s going to be some discomfort, so just figuring out ways to fight through. “Got no other choice.”