Is James Harden playing tonight against Denver Nuggets? Latest on Clippers star's availability for Game 1, NBA playoffs (Apr. 19)
LA Clippers star James Harden is available to play in his team’s first game of the NBA Playoffs against the Denver Nuggets on Saturday. Harden has been one of the Clippers’ most important players this season. He made 79 appearances, recording 22.8 points, 5.8 rebounds and 8.7 assists per game while shooting 41% from the field.
Thanks to his efforts, LA claimed the sixth seed in the Western Conference and will now face the Nuggets for their first postseason game. So far, the Clippers have played the Nuggets four times during the regular season. Each team has won two games.
However, Denver hasn’t played the Clippers with Kawhi Leonard in the lineup. Leonard returned from injury in January and is yet to suit up against Denver. The 33-year-old’s season got off to a slow start, but he turned things around by the end and made 37 appearances, recording 21.5 points, 5.9 rebounds and 3.1 assists per game.
Furthermore, Leonard took things up a notch to close out the regular season, recording 26.4 points, 7.2 rebounds and 3.6 assists over his last 10 games. It’ll be interesting to see what Harden and Leonard have in store for the Denver Nuggets on Saturday.
James Harden’s stats vs Denver Nuggets
James Harden has been stellar against the Denver Nuggets throughout his career. He has made 49 regular-season appearances against them, averaging 23.3 points, 6.9 assists and 5.1 rebounds. James was also key against them this season, averaging 23.3 points, 9.3 assists and 5.8 rebounds in four games.
His best performance against them came in December when he dropped 39 points, 11 assists and nine rebounds. Unfortunately, James Harden hasn’t had many opportunities to take on Denver in the playoffs. They’ve met just once in 2011 when the Beard was still with OKC. He played five games in that series, recording 10.4 points, 5.6 rebounds and 3.0 assists.
Where to watch the LA Clippers vs. Denver Nuggets? NBA playoffs
The NBA playoffs game featuring the LA Clippers vs Denver Nuggets is scheduled to tip off from the Ball Arena on Saturday. The game will go live at 3:30 p.m. ET and can be broadcast on ESPN. Alternatively, the game can be streamed with NBA League Pass or FuboTV.