Clippers Injury Report vs. OKC: Will James Harden Play?

James Harden is dealing with a calf injury, will he be ready to go against the Thunder on Thursday?

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The Los Angeles Clippers are headed to Oklahoma City to take on the Thunder in the most difficult game of the NBA calendar for any team. It will be especially tough as OKC is coming off an NBA Cup semi-finals loss to the San Antonio Spurs on Saturday. They will be well-rested and highly motivated to bounce back against an older, struggling Clippers team.

Clippers Injury News: James Harden Will Miss Thursday's Game vs. OKC

To make matters worse for the Clippers, they will be without star guard James Harden. After playing through a calf injury against the Grizzlies on Monday, Harden was ruled out by the Clippers for Thursday. The organization said his status for Saturday's game against the Lakers is uncertain, per Joey Linn of SI.

Harden was a game-time decision against the Grizzlies, and eventually suited up, but had one of his quietest games of the season, finishing with 13 points and six assists on 4/10 shooting. When asked by reporters whether Harden should have sat out on Monday, Lue said, "James wants to play every night," per The Athletic's Law Murray. This suggests that Harden wasn't ready, but was willing to give it a go.

Now, the fact that he is getting ruled out 24 hours ahead of time and may even miss Saturday's game is not a good sign. Calf injuries have been notoriously common this season, and there is very little reason for Harden to play through it and risk worsening it. An extended absence may be in order for the 36-year-old to ensure he is fully healed before attempting to return.

This is a disappointing development for the 6-20 Clippers, who are desperately trying to turn their season around. Losing their most productive player of the season in the middle of their toughest stretch of games must be deflating, especially considering the lack of backcourt options. Harden is the only true point guard on the roster, meaning that a lot of offensive creation burden will fall on the likes of Bogdan Bogdanovic, Kris Dunn, and Kobe Sanders, in addition to Kawhi Leonard. Against one of the best defenses of all time, this will be a massive problem.

The Clippers will also be without rookie Yanic Konan Niederhauser, who is dealing with knee soreness, in addition to the expected absences of Chris Paul, Bradley Beal, and Derrick Jones Jr.