James Harden quickly ruled out the possibility of surgery after fracturing his thumb in a game against the Knicks, choosing instead to continue playing through the injury, Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com reports.
He returned to action Sunday afternoon against the Nets and delivered an efficient performance, scoring 22 points on just nine shot attempts while also contributing eight assists and nine rebounds.
Afterward, Harden explained why undergoing a procedure was never a serious consideration.
“That’s too much time out,” Harden explained. “Thought about playing last game (on Friday). Thought about playing in Milwaukee (on Wednesday). There’s going to be some discomfort, so just figuring out ways to fight through … Got no other choice.”
To test whether he could manage the pain well enough to suit up, Harden visited the NBA Players Association in Manhattan on Saturday for an individual workout, primarily to evaluate his ability to handle the ball.
“If I can dribble, I can play,” he said. “I still couldn’t dribble how I wanted to, but it was good enough.”
Harden did commit five turnovers in the game, and head coach Kenny Atkinson noted that the thumb issue appeared to affect him at times, particularly with ball control.
“Just fumbling the ball,” Atkinson said. “Couple of those turnovers weren’t his. Then I noticed him kind of deferring a couple times when bringing the ball up. Which he never does. Just probably needed to give it a break.
“It’s a tough one, especially for a guy that handles it as much as he does. But we needed him. He played handicapped. But he still played well.”
James Harden didn't mull surgery for his fractured thumb: https://t.co/ZDSAEomXrS pic.twitter.com/iVdTr5GNOz
— Hoops Rumors (@HoopsRumors) March 2, 2026
