LA Clippers head coach Tyronn Lue revealed the unfortunate news of a key starter suffering an injury during a 103-101 loss to the OKC Thunder.

LA Clippers head coach Tyronn Lue works on the sideline against the Atlanta Hawks during the first half at State Farm Arena. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-Imagn Images

The Los Angeles Clippers fell to a 101-103 loss to the OKC Thunder at home tonight in a closely fought contest in which the Clippers ran out of steam.

A big reason for this was James Harden being heavily limited for a chunk of the second half, playing through an ankle injury that was caused after he fell due to aggressive defense from Lu Dort.

Clippers head coach Tyronn Lue confirmed Harden sprained his ankle and was getting treatment in his post-game press conference.

“He’s in the training room right now. I know he got hit in the hip and then when he fell, he sprained his ankle a little bit. That was the reason he couldn’t attack at the end of the game. We had to try and keep force-feeding Kawhi. Hopefully, he’s okay, but we’ll see.”

The Clippers point guard stayed in the game till the final moments, ending the night with 17 points (4-14 FG), five rebounds, and eight assists.

He was visibly labored at the end of the game, unable to attack the OKC defense in game-winning possessions and hunting to pass Kawhi Leonard the ball.

Leonard is one of the clutches players in the NBA, but Harden’s inability to create separation or dribble comfortably forced Kawhi to self-create an impossible mid-range jumper for the final real possession of the game.

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If Harden was healthy, he could’ve driven to the rim and created an opening on the perimeter for a game-winner or out-dribbled a defender on the perimeter to then ice a shot himself. None of this happened, as the Clippers sunk to what could’ve been one of their best wins of the season.

The Clippers Need A Healthy James Harden

Harden is in the midst of a resurgent season, averaging 22.5 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 8.7 assists.

Even though his scoring efficiency (39.6 FG%) has been pretty poor, he’s the on-ball orchestrator for the franchise. Norman Powell’s 22.7 points average wouldn’t be possible without Harden as a point guard and Kawhi Leonard’s adjustment back into the team after a long-term injury was greatly aided by Harden’s presence.

He was the only Clipper to make the All-Star game this season, so the team is reliant on his presence to remain competitive in the West. Tonight’s loss dropped their record to 40-30, one game behind the No. 6-seeded Golden State Warriors.

If Harden misses any time, the Clippers will likely be unable to hold onto the battle for a top-six seed, guaranteeing a Play-In appearance for the franchise. Hopefully, the injury isn’t severe enough to cause major inaction, but the team will have to be careful with the load of the 35-year-old guard just 12 games before the Playoffs.