James Harden Cleared to Play Again

Doctors gave James Harden the go-ahead to play last night, but despite his recovery from a concussion, OKC Thunder head coach Scott Brooks elected to give the forward the night off. Per the Oklahoman: “Thunder guard James Harden passed all stages of the NBA’s concussion evaluation process and was cleared to play in Wednesday night’s 106-101 loss against the Denver Nuggets at Chesapeake Energy Arena. However, with OKC’s No. 2 playoff seed secured, coach Scott Brooks decided to delay Harden’s return until Game 1 of the Thunder’s opening-round playoff series, which will be at home either Saturday or Sunday. As was the case with Tuesday night’s game against Sacramento, Harden was not in the arena on Wednesday either.”