James Harden Suddenly Ruled Out of Clippers vs Suns

The Los Angeles Clippers will be without their top player tonight against the Phoenix Suns.

Jan 30, 2026; Denver, Colorado, USA; Los Angeles Clippers guard James Harden (1) in the third quarter against the Denver Nuggets at Ball Arena. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images | Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images

The Los Angeles Clippers won't have James Harden for tonight's clash against the Phoenix Suns due to personal reasons, per Clippers beat writer Joey Linn.

James Harden has been ruled out tonight in Phoenix for personal reasons.

— Joey Linn (@joeylinn_) February 1, 2026

Harden wasn't on the team's initial injury report last night and attended his alma mater Arizona State's basketball game against Arizona over the weekend.

He now joins Bradley Beal, Chris Paul and Derrick Jones Jr. as being out for Los Angeles.

Meanwhile, the Suns will be down Devin Booker while Jalen Green is questionable — you can read more about their injury report here.

Opening tip for tonight is slated for 6:00 PM MST.

Harden is averaging 25.4 points, 4.8 rebounds and 8.1 assists per night for 2025-26. The Clippers are one of the league's hottest teams after winning their last 16-of-20 games entering Sunday's showdown at Mortgage Matchup Center.

"Some teams, when it gets that bad, they just let the wheels fall off," Harden told ESPN in a recent interview.

"I had interviews where people were asking me, 'How do you find confidence?' and I'm like, 'The confidence is there. The losses are frustrating, but the confidence is still there.'

"I think finding little tweaks and being a lot better defensively is what really helped us out. ... Now we got to take one game at a time, just like when we were in the hole. We can come all the way back, but we have to chip away, chip away and really build some momentum going into the All-Star break."

Phoenix has beaten Los Angeles two out of their prior three meetings this season. Harden also missed the team's Nov. 6 game against the Suns due to personal reasons as well.

The Suns are currently seventh in the Western Conference while the Clippers are tenth.

"Being at home, that's like the opportunity of a lifetime for me. Just be able to hoop in front of my family, friends, people I grew up with, people that raised me. It's a different feeling," Harden continued.

"So as much as people talk all the time. That's social media, that's what people's jobs are to talk. For me, it's just like I'm actually living in it so I can't get caught up in what people talk about, how people feel, whatever the case.

"I'm from L.A. and I'm blessed to be here."