James Harden Breaks Silence on Injury Scare in Clippers-Thunder

LA Clippers guard James Harden suffered a foot injury against the Oklahoma City Thunder

Feb 13, 2025; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; LA Clippers guard James Harden (1) during the second half against the Utah Jazz at the Delta Center. Mandatory Credit: Christopher Creveling-Imagn Images / Christopher Creveling-Imagn Images

On Sunday night, the LA Clippers put their impressive five-game winning streak to the test against the Western Conference's best Oklahoma City Thunder. Unfortunately, not only did the Clippers lose in a heartbreaker, but they may have lost James Harden in the process.

In third quarter of LA's game against Oklahoma City, James Harden took a knee from Lu Dort which then caused him to appear to roll his ankle and briefly sit out. Harden didn't look the same after the injury, and LA Clippers coach Ty Lue confirmed that he probably should have sat Harden out after that moment.

Ty Lue says James Harden couldn’t move much after taking a knee to the thigh from Lu Dort.

Said the Clippers probably should’ve saved him from himself but he wanted to stay in the game.

— Joey Linn (@joeylinn_) March 24, 2025

After the game, Harden spoke about the injury, stating that he rolled his foot and not his ankle.

"I'm alright," Harden said. "I got bumped, I got kneed in the thigh, and I rolled my foot."

Even though Harden claimed he was alright, he was walking with a very noticeable limp in the locker room.

James Harden: "I'm alright. I got bumped, I got kneed in the thigh, and I rolled my foot."

Harden was walking with a noticeable limp in the locker room.

— Farbod Esnaashari (@Farbod_E) March 24, 2025

An educated guess would be that Harden doesn't play against the New York Knicks on Wednesday. It's tough to say if he'll play at all during the Clippers' upcoming four-game road trip, but getting treatment should be the most important thing for Harden right now.

The timing of the injury is horrible, because the loss now puts the Clippers in the 8th seed and puts them a game out of the sixth seed. Timing wise, it's also eerily similar to when Lu Dort accidentally injured Paul George in March of 2023, which saw George remain out throughout the NBA playoffs.

Mar 23, 2025; Inglewood, California, USA; LA Clippers head coach Tyronn Lue talks to LA Clippers guard James Harden (1) during the 3rd quarter against the Oklahoma City Thunder at Intuit Dome. Mandatory Credit: Jason Parkhurst-Imagn Images / Jason Parkhurst-Imagn Images

The LA Clippers face off against the New York Knicks on Wednesday. Hopefully, James Harden's potential injury isn't too serious, and the team can survive their upcoming four-game stretch without him.

Related Articles

NBA Fans React to Ben Simmons' Performance in Clippers vs OKC Thunder

Injury Report: Los Angeles Clippers vs Oklahoma City Thunder

Chet Holmgren Unexpectedly Downgraded for Thunder-Clippers