James Harden Injury Update: Latest on Clippers star's status against Hawks (March 17)

James Harden has been playing a different brand of basketball since joining forces with the LA Clippers, compared to his other roles on past teams. He has only missed two games since joining the team, as fans wonder about his status tonight against the Atlanta Hawks. James Harden, who was previously listed as questionable due to a left shoulder strain, has been cleared to play by the team's medical staff.

Despite the lingering injury, Harden will be available to suit up for tonight's game. Additionally, Clippers guard Norman Powell is also included in the injury report as questionable with a lower leg contusion.

What happened to James Harden?

The last LA Clippers game that James Harden played was Tuesday night's 118-100 loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves. Following that game, the 10-time NBA All-Star revealed that his left shoulder was bothering him.

Since then, Harden has missed two games. He was listed as questionable twice during those missing games since the medical team wanted to ensure that his recovery was not rushed or jeopardized for him to return to the court quickly.

In the 59 games he's played with the team, James Harden has put up 17.4 points on 44.2% shooting, including 40.3% from beyond the arc, while adding 8.3 assists and 5.1 rebounds to his regular-season stats.

James Harden's stats vs. Atlanta Hawks

In the 23 games he's played against the Atlanta Hawks, James Harden has averaged 26.3 points, 7.7 assists and 5.8 rebounds throughout his career. It'll be interesting to see how Harden fares in tonight's competition if he becomes available to play coming off an injury.

Fans can look to his impressive track record in Hawks matchups as a possible indicator of how his outing might turn out to be.

Additionally, the last time he played the Hawks was on Feb. 5, 2024, in a 149-144 win. During that first meeting, James Harden put up 30 points on 7-of-14 shooting, including 6-of-9 from 3-point range. He also chipped in 10 assists and eight rebounds in an all-around great performance from him.

The Clippers enter this Eastern Conference clash after losing 112-104 to the New Orleans Pelicans on Friday night, the second night of a back-to-back. It was a painful setback, but the team will like to rebound at home.

As of now, the Clippers are in fourth place (42-24 record) in the Western Conference standings, having won five out of their last 10 games.