Clippers Make Final James Harden Decision vs Suns

The Los Angeles Clippers will have James Harden available tonight against the Phoenix Suns.

Harden, who missed Phoenix's 115-102 win on Thursday due to personal reasons, was initially left off the injury report entering today. However, he was added with an illness shortly before game time and was questionable.

Fellow co-star Kawhi Leonard is still out with his ankle injury.

For Phoenix, Dillon Brooks was upgraded to questionable after missing the previous six games while Mark Williams was also a late add due to illness as well. Both will play for Phoenix.

Opening tip is slated for 7:30 PM PST/8:30 PM MST.

James Harden Could Give Clippers Big Boost

Harden's presence was obvious on Thursday, as the Clippers clearly were shorthanded, even against a Suns team that still has some big questions surrounding them in 2025-26.

Los Angeles hopes to avenge their previous loss at Mortgage Matchup Center just two nights later back at home, and the return of their top scorer will help.

Harden is averaging 23.3 points per night with 5.3 rebounds and 8.6 assists.

His iso-scoring ability still remains elite, and it could give the Suns some serious trouble tonight.

Los Angeles previously relied on Bradley Beal to carry the scoring load, though that didn't pan out too well.

"I mean I think physically, he definitely can do it. I mean, just the minutes he's going to be playing, I don't think he can score 35 points or 40 points, but, the most important thing is, he's feeling better," Clippers coach Ty Lue said on Thursday.

"He's slowly working towards where he's trying to get to and then tonight, just one of those days, just adding, stacking games, stacking days, and this would be another one he's trying to stack."

Beal went 2-14 shooting from the field in his return to Phoenix.

The Clippers as a whole haven't lived up to early season expectations, as their 3-5 record out of the gates has been far less than ideal.

“We gave them threes early on and then was in scramble mode. They had us in close-out situations and they were driving and kicking, and we couldn't really keep up their pace or how they attack the paint," Lue continued after the loss to Phoenix.

"We allowed a lot of threes and to give up 40 points in the third quarter, it's hard to come back from that.”

Now, if Harden goes, the Clippers will be a bit more equipped to keep up in a track meet if that's what the game calls for.