76ers vs. Mavericks: James Harden Remains Unclear on Return

The 76ers aren't sure if James Harden will be back on Wednesday against the Dallas Mavericks.

All signs pointed towards James Harden making his return to the Philadelphia 76ers’ starting five on Monday night. 

While Harden was questionable for the fourth-straight game, missing the previous three outings, the star guard was a participant in the Sixers’ morning shootaround in Denver. 

Not only did Harden participate in the session, but he held a post-shootaround practice session of his own to get some extra reps in.

Reports indicated that Harden was on track to remain, but still remained a game-time decision. Then when it came time to decide finally, the Sixers ruled him out against the Nuggets due to Achilles soreness.

When Sixers head coach Doc Rivers addressed Harden’s latest setback on Friday night, he was skeptical of The Beard’s chances of playing against the Phoenix Suns on Saturday but confident in his potential return on Monday in Denver.

Unfortunately, Harden missed both matchups. When asked about Harden again on Monday night after the Sixers dropped their third-straight game against Denver, Rivers mentioned that he was “optimistic” about Harden’s return on Wednesday against the Dallas Mavericks.

So far, there haven’t been any signs of the Sixers guaranteeing Harden’s return to the court against Dallas. On the team’s injury report, Harden is listed as questionable as Achilles soreness continues to bother the star guard.

While ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported that Harden was targeting a return at home this week, he wasn’t specific about which matchup. This week, the Sixers have two matchups at home following their four-game road trip.

The first is on Wednesday against Dallas. The second is on Friday against the Toronto Raptors. Considering the Sixers don’t plan to hold a shootaround on Wednesday morning after a long trip, the team will likely wait until he goes through his pregame warmups before making a final decision on Harden’s playing status. 

Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for All76ers, a Sports Illustrated channel. You can follow him for live updates on Twitter: @JGrasso_.