HOUSTON: Houston star James Harden was ruled out of Saturday’s Rockets game (Jan. 2) against Sacramento Kings less than an hour before tipoff due to a sprained right ankle.
Harden was not listed in the injury report and coach Stephen Silas did not mention the injury he sustained. The team announced that he would not be playing for about 38 minutes before the game was expected to start.
He has started all of Houston’s games this season and is averaging 37 points ahead of the league with 11 assists per game.
The Rockets had to shut down their December 23 opener after coronavirus cases, contract finding and Harden’s breach of the NBA’s COVID-19 protocols left them without all eight league-led players available.
Harden’s breach of health and safety protocols came after a video of the abstract star appeared on social media where he was without a mask at a crowded party instead of a private event two days before that game.
The incident came after months of rumors and reports that the eight-time All-Star wants to trade, but Harden has declined to comment on those reports.