Is James Harden Playing Tonight? Cavs Guard Out With Right Thumb Fracture

is james harden playing tonight is the immediate question for Cleveland fans after the Cavaliers ruled their new guard out of Friday’s game at Detroit because he broke his right thumb in Tuesday’s win over the New York Knicks.

Is James Harden Playing Tonight

Head coach Kenny Atkinson said Harden’s initial X-rays showed a non-displaced fracture of the distal phalanx in his right thumb and that the team is not pursuing surgery at this time. The plan had been to let Harden go through pregame warmups and determine availability, but he did not come out for his usual pregame routine and sat the game in Detroit.

Dribbling trouble kept Harden out

Atkinson noted a specific on-court problem: Harden was "struggling a little just dribbling. " The coach added that when a player has difficulty dribbling and catching, "it's tough to play, " and referenced another player who needed extra time after a similar issue. Atkinson said Harden has shown improvement since the injury "— it’s better than it was two days ago, " but the dribbling issue kept him off the floor for the Pistons matchup.

Short-term outlook and recent form

Harden will undergo further evaluations and treatment as Cleveland monitors the thumb. In seven games with the Cavaliers, he has averaged 18. 9 points, 4. 6 rebounds and 8. 0 assists while shooting 49. 4% from the field and 48. 8% from three-point range. The club has gone 6-1 in those seven contests since acquiring Harden in the trade that moved him to Cleveland.

The team has said it expects Harden to play through the injury at some point; for now the immediate consequence is clear: he missed the Friday game in Detroit because he could not manage routine ballhandling in pregame. The coaching staff will keep assessing his ability to handle the basketball in team sessions and workouts.

With Harden sidelined, Cleveland leaned on its rotation in the Pistons game and will continue to adjust its backcourt rotation while the right thumb is evaluated. The club’s recent stretch with Harden on the roster — including a 20-point, 9-assist game and a 20-point effort in two of the seven contests — underscores why the team is treating his recovery cautiously.

Harden is undergoing further evaluations and treatment; the Cavaliers will determine his availability based on those checkups and his ability to handle dribbling and catching in practice.