Harden’s fractured thumb leaves Cavs split on availability vs. Bucks

James Harden has a fracture in his right thumb, and recent headlines harden the question of whether the Cavaliers guard will play Wednesday against the Bucks.

Conflicting headlines: out vs. planning to play

One headline states Cavs' James Harden has a fracture in his right thumb and lists him as out vs. the Bucks, while another headline says the Cavaliers guard reportedly plans to play through the fractured thumb. The pair of headlines presents an immediate contradiction about Harden's status for the matchup with the Bucks on Wednesday.

Details named in the headlines

The distinct pieces of information in the headlines are clear: the injury is a fracture in Harden's right thumb; one headline says he is out for the game against the Bucks; another headline characterizes his injury as something he plans to play through. The question posed in a third headline—Will James Harden play Wednesday vs. Bucks after fracturing thumb?—frames the upcoming decision the team faces.

What this means for Wednesday's game vs. Bucks

With the headlines stating both that Harden is out vs. the Bucks and that he reportedly plans to play through the fractured thumb, the Cavaliers' roster for Wednesday remains uncertain. The Bucks game on Wednesday is the next scheduled event tied directly to Harden's availability.

A CBS Sports page showed "429 Too Many Requests"

An item in the provided context lists a CBS Sports entry with the title "429 Too Many Requests. " That entry appears alongside the Harden headlines in the material supplied for this story.

The competing headlines continue to harden focus on Harden's status for Wednesday's game against the Bucks; clarity will come when the Cavaliers confirm his availability for that matchup.