The Cleveland Cavaliers will pay a visit to Michigan to take on the Detroit Pistons on Friday, February 27.
James Harden was listed on the Cavaliersâ injury report as questionable, as the star guard continues dealing with a critical injury.
Earlier this week, the Cavaliers confirmed that Harden had a non-displaced fracture of his right thumb. He suffered the setback during a February 24 matchup against the New York Knicks. While the injury is severe, Harden doesnât plan to undergo surgery. He is expected to play through the pain throughout the remainder of the season.
Will James Harden Face The Pistons?
GettyCleveland Cavaliers guard James Harden is out against the Pistons.
For the second game in a row, the Cavaliers are going to roll without Harden. He was officially ruled out.
Since joining the Cavaliers at the 2025-2026 trade deadline, Harden has been ready and available. He made his debut on February 7, facing the Sacramento Kings. In his first set of action with the Cavs, Harden checked in for 32 minutes. He shot 7-13 from the field, scoring 23 points. He also contributed eight assists, two rebounds, and one steal. Harden helped the Cavaliers pick up a 132-126 win over the Kings.
From that point on, the Cavaliers went on a strong winning streak. It took five games before they suffered their first loss during the Harden stint.
In seven games, Harden has been an efficient shooter, and a stellar playmaker. While his scoring is down from 25.4 points per game, to just 18.9, heâs shooting 49% from the field, which is a notable jump. Along with his scoring, Harden is dishing out 8.0 assists per game, while turning it over 3.3 times per game.
Before Harden landed on the Cavaliers this year, he was playing in his third season with the Los Angeles Clippers.
Despite the Clippersâ early struggles, they werenât believed to be shopping Harden around. Clearly, that wasnât actually the case.
The Clippers opted for a young playmaker in Darius Garland. The Cavaliers bet big on Harden, who is an 11-time All-Star thatâs in search of his first NBA championship. The Cavaliers are one of the top teams in the Eastern Conference, but they have a lot of work to do.
Cleveland Cavaliersâ Standing In The East
GettyThe Cavaliers will face the Pistons on Friday.
Clevelandâs Friday night opponent is at the top of the conference.
The Pistons are 43-14 on the season, holding a 5.5 game lead over the Boston Celtics. It would have to take a notable losing streak in order for the Pistons to lose control of their first seed.
The Cavaliers are placed fourth in the conference, trailing the New York Knicks and the Boston Celtics. With a 37-23 record, the Cavs are 0.5 games behind the Knicks and 2.0 games behind the Celtics. There is a 2.5-game gap between the Cavs and the Toronto Raptors.
On Friday, the Cavaliers are looking to improve their standing within the East. While the current stretch is difficult, considering all of the injury concerns, Cleveland remains in a good position with just 22 games left to go in the season.
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