Dec 30, 2024; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; LA Clippers guard James Harden (1) looks on against the New Orleans Pelicans during the first half at Smoothie King Center. Stephen Lew-Imagn Images

James Harden’s Downgraded Injury Status for Clippers-Thunder

Originally posted on Los Angeles Clippers on SI
By Liam Willerup | Last updated Jan 2, 2025 2:41 PM ET

With Kawhi Leonard set to miss a significant amount of time to start the season, many figures in the media immediately wrote off the LA Clippers as a serious team in the Western Conference. Factor in the loss of Paul George, the Clippers started the season relying on an aging James Harden and what appeared to be a committee of role players.

Flash forward to today, this Clippers roster still doesn't have Leonard back, and they are set to face off against the first-seeded Oklahoma City Thunder in a matchup of the first and sixth seeds in the Western Conference. Along with Norman Powell's rise to an All-Star caliber player and Ivica Zubac's two-way consistency, the Clippers are where they are due to Harden's all-around efforts.

Unfortunately for the Clippers, they could be in jeopardy of missing him for Tuesday night's contest.

Harden was recently downgraded for this game to questionable with a right groin soreness injury. In his age 35 season, Harden has missed just one contest this year, where the Clippers were defeated by the Houston Rockets on December 8th.

This article first appeared on Los Angeles Clippers on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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