Harden recorded 24 points (7-14 FG, 3-8 3Pt, 7-9 FT), five rebounds and four assists across 36 minutes in Thursday's 114-111 loss to the Hawks.
Harden scored 20 points through the first three quarters of this one, though he provided a muted impact in the fourth. The veteran guard still delivered an efficient shooting performance and finished as the Cavaliers' leading scorer, reaching the 20-point mark for the first time this season. He's averaging 17.4 points, 6.2 assists and 4.6 rebounds per tilt through five regular-season games.
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Cavaliers' James Harden: Narrowly misses double-double
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Harden tallied 19 points (7-17 FG, 3-9 3Pt, 2-2 FT), five rebounds, nine assists and two steals across 39 minutes in Monday's 127-125 overtime win over the Timberwolves.
Harden delivered his strongest performance of the young season, finishing one assist shy of a double-double while posting season-high marks in points and dimes. His nine three-point attempts also highlighted his offensive involvement despite modest shooting efficiency, and although he seems to have lost a bit of a step offensively, Harden should remain valuable in Cleveland's offensive scheme. He's averaging 15.6 points, 5.3 rebounds and 7.0 assists per game to open the season.
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Cavaliers' James Harden: Commits six turnovers
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Harden contributed 16 points (5-12 FG, 3-6 3Pt, 3-4 FT), three rebounds, five assists and a steal across 33 minutes in Thursday's 114-106 loss to the 76ers.
Harden had a decent stat line in a game where Donovan Mitchell was the only Cavaliers player to cross the 20-point threshold. Harden led the team in assists and finished third in scoring, so he certainly made his presence felt. However, that stat line is a step in the wrong direction compared to the 2025-26 season, where Harden averaged 23.6 points, 4.8 rebounds and 8.0 assists over 34.8 minutes per contest in 70 games combined for the Cavaliers and Clippers. This was a slow start for Harden, but he should recover his go-to playmaking and scoring role sooner rather than later.
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Cavaliers' James Harden: Struggles with shooting in preseason loss
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Harden recorded 13 points (3-12 FG, 1-5 3Pt, 6-6 FT), two assists and a steal across 27 minutes in Tuesday's 132-116 preseason loss to the Magic.
Harden endured a difficult shooting performance, converting just three of his 12 field-goal attempts while making only one shot from beyond the arc. The veteran guard compensated somewhat by going perfect from the charity stripe, but his two assists and three turnovers were also disappointing. Harden's limited playmaking production was particularly notable with Donovan Mitchell leading Cleveland with eight assists. Despite the underwhelming outing, Harden remains positioned to play a prominent offensive role during the regular season.
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Cavaliers' James Harden: Plays well in preseason debut
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Harden finished with 24 points (7-10 FG, 3-5 3Pt, 7-9 FT), four rebounds, two assists and one steal across 26 minutes in Sunday's 119-105 preseason victory over Orlando.
Harden wasn't available for Thursday's 124-113 preseason loss to Boston due to an ankle injury, but he was cleared to suit up Sunday. He played exceptionally well, already appearing in mid-season form in his first exhibition of the 2026-27 campaign. The 2018 Most Valuable Player, who signed a three-year deal with Cleveland in August, averaged 23.6 points, 4.8 rebounds and 8.0 assists over 34.8 minutes per contest in 70 games combined for the Cavaliers and Clippers in 2025-26. While Harden is entering his age-37 season, he is still an All-Star-caliber player despite his most productive days likely being a thing of the past.
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Cavaliers' James Harden: Will play Sunday
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Harden (ankle) will play and start Sunday's preseason game against the Magic, Serena Winters of FanDuel Sports Network Ohio reports.
Harden missed Cleveland's preseason opener due to right ankle soreness, but he will play Sunday. He will likely see fairly limited action in his return, given that it is the preseason.
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Cavaliers' James Harden: Won't play in preseason opener
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Harden (ankle) has been ruled out for Thursday's preseason game against the Celtics, Serena Winters of FanDuel Sports Network Ohio reports.
Harden is dealing with right ankle soreness and will be held out of Cleveland's preseason opener. With the veteran guard sidelined, Jaylon Tyson will join Donovan Mitchell, Peyton Watson, Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen in the starting five.
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Cavaliers' James Harden: Agrees to new deal with Cavaliers
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Cleveland and Harden agreed Thursday to a three-year deal worth $97 million, per Chris Fedor of The Cleveland Plain Dealer.
The expectation earlier this offseason was that Harden would re-sign on a new multi-year contract with the Cavaliers, and the deal is now in place. The star guard is entering his age-37 campaign but looks to have plenty left in the tank as an early-round fantasy player, having averaged 20.5 points, 7.7 assists, 4.8 rebounds and 3.1 three-pointers per game in 26 regular-season appearances for the Cavs in 2025-26.
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Cavaliers' James Harden: Declines option, plans to re-sign
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Harden declined his $42.3 million player option for 2026-27 on Monday and is working on a new multi-year deal with the Cavaliers, Shams Charania of ESPN reports.
After averaging 20.9 points, 6.2 assists, 5.2 rebounds and 2.0 steals through Cleveland's first 13 postseason games, Harden struggled mightily as the Cavaliers got swept by the Knicks in the Eastern Conference Finals. While a disappointing end, it was still a successful postseason run for the new-look Cavaliers. Having Harden decline his option for a longer deal should lead to more guaranteed money for him while giving the team some much-needed financial flexibility.
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Cavaliers' James Harden: Comes up short in Game 4 loss
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Harden closed with 12 points (2-8 FG, 0-6 3Pt, 8-9 FT), four rebounds, two assists, one block and one steal over 33 minutes during Monday's 130-93 loss to the Knicks in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Finals.
Harden's reputation as someone who struggles when everything is on the line continued to build Monday, as he scored just 12 points on 25.0 percent shooting. Monday's loss closed what was a solid postseason run for the veteran, who averaged 18.5 points, 5.4 rebounds, 5.4 assists, 1.6 steals and 1.9 three-pointers in 15 playoff appearances over the past month.
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Cavaliers' James Harden: Struggles with turnovers in loss
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Harden accumulated 19 points (8-15 FG, 1-7 3Pt, 2-3 FT), five rebounds, five assists and one steal in 41 minutes during Saturday's 121-108 loss to New York in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Finals.
This was the second time in this series that Harden committed six turnovers, and he again struggled from three-point range, missing all but one of his seven three-point attempts. Through the first three games of this series, Harden has committed a total of 12 turnovers while shooting 5-for-22 from beyond the arc.
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Cavaliers' James Harden: Exposed in Game 1 loss
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Harden racked up 15 points (5-16 FG, 1-8 3Pt, 4-6 FT), four rebounds, three assists, one block and one steal in 42 minutes during Tuesday's 115-104 overtime loss to New York in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals.
Harden struggled to have an impact on the defensive end, with Jalen Brunson having his way down the stretch. New York ran multiple plays to isolate Harden, at which point Brunson was able to get to his spots on the floor. Harden also recorded at least six turnovers for the third time in the past four games, impacted by the defensive pressure put on him by the likes of Mikal Bridges and Josh Hart. Now trailing 1-0, Cleveland will look to rebound after Tuesday's loss, hoping to return home with the series tied at 1-1.
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Cavaliers' James Harden: Well-rounded effort in loss
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Harden supplied 23 points (6-13 FG, 3-8 3Pt, 8-10 FT), seven rebounds, four assists and four steals in 37 minutes during Friday's 115-94 loss to the Pistons in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals.
Harden scored 16 of his team-high 23 points in the second half, though it wasn't enough to lead the Cavaliers to victory. The veteran guard also paced Cleveland in assists and steals while finishing third on the team in rebounds. He has reached the 20-point mark in three straight games, logging four combined steals-plus-blocks in each of them. He'll look to continue producing on both ends of the floor in Sunday's do-or-die Game 7 in Detroit.
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Cavaliers' James Harden: Leads Cavs to overtime win
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Harden finished with 30 points (8-21 FG, 3-10 3Pt, 11-14 FT), eight rebounds, six assists, one steal and three blocks across 43 minutes in Wednesday's 117-113 win over Detroit in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals.
Harden has had his share of struggles throughout this series. However, the 36-year-old showed up in a big way in Game 5 to lead the Cavaliers to a much-needed win. It was his highest scoring output since March 19. With Cleveland one victory away from advancing to the Eastern Conference Finals, the Pistons will try to knot things up when these clubs meet again Friday.
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Cavaliers' James Harden: Double-doubles in win
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Harden posted 24 points (5-14 FG, 5-9 3Pt, 9-9 FT), 11 assists, three steals and one block over 37 minutes during Monday's 112-103 victory over the Pistons in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals.
Harden missed all five of his shots from inside the arc yet dominated from deep and frequently got to the charity stripe. The veteran guard scored 15 of his 24 points in the first half but took a back seat to Donovan Mitchell afterward, as Mitchell scored 39 points in the second half. Harden tallied a game-high 11 assists, marking his second double-double of the postseason, with his first coming in Game 1 against the Raptors during the opening round. He also contributed at least three combined steals-plus-blocks for the second time in this series.
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Cavaliers' James Harden: Dishes seven dimes in Game 3 win
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Harden logged 19 points (8-14 FG, 3-7 3Pt, 0-1 FT), seven assists, two rebounds and one steal over 39 minutes in Saturday's 116-109 win over the Pistons in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals.
Harden took a back seat to Donovan Mitchell (35 points) in the scoring category, but the veteran lefty led the Cavaliers with seven dimes. Harden also helped the Cavs close things out with nine points in the fourth quarter, seven of which were scored in the final 90 seconds of the contest. He is averaging 19.5 points, 6.0 assists, 5.3 rebounds, 2.2 threes and 1.8 steals over 37.0 minutes per game in the playoffs.
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Cavaliers' James Harden: Lackluster performance Thursday
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Harden recorded 10 points (3-13 FG, 0-4 3Pt, 4-4 FT), six rebounds, three assists and one steal across 37 minutes during Thursday's 107-97 loss to the Pistons in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals.
Harden had little impact, scoring just 10 points in the Game 2 loss. In what was easily his worst performance of the postseason, Harden simply couldn't find any rhythm, going just 3-for-13 from the field. Now trailing 2-0 in the series, the Cavaliers will head home to Cleveland looking to wrestle back some momentum. Look for Harden to deliver an improved effort in line with what he has done for the majority of the playoffs.
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Cavaliers' James Harden: Full stat line in Game 1 loss
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Harden notched 22 points (6-15 FG, 1-7 3Pt, 9-9 FT), eight rebounds, seven assists, two blocks and one steal across 35 minutes in Tuesday's 111-101 loss to the Pistons in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals.
Although he struggled from beyond the arc, Harden was efficient at the charity stripe and finished as Cleveland's second-leading scorer. The veteran guard delivered a well-rounded line, leading the Cavaliers in assists while finishing second on the team in rebounds. He also matched the team-best mark in blocks, recording three combined steals-plus-blocks for a fourth consecutive contest. Harden and the Cavaliers will now look to steal a road win in Game 2 on Thursday.
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Cavaliers' James Harden: Flirts with triple-double in loss
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Harden ended with 16 points (5-14 FG, 1-4 3Pt, 5-5 FT), nine rebounds, nine assists, one block and two steals across 44 minutes during Friday's 112-110 overtime loss to the Raptors in Game 6 of the first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs.
Harden fell just short of what would have been just his second triple-double of the season, and his first as a member of the Cavaliers. It continued what has been a solid playoff showing thus far for the veteran, as he's averaged 21.0 points, 5.2 rebounds, 6.7 assists, 2.0 steals and 2.7 three-pointers per contest. With the series now locked at 3-3, Cleveland will return home for Game 7, where Toronto will be looking to ruin the homecoming.
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Cavaliers' James Harden: Scores 23 points in Game 5 win
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Harden produced 23 points (7-13 FG, 4-8 3Pt, 5-6 FT), nine rebounds, five assists, two steals and one block in 40 minutes during Wednesday's Game 5 win over the Raptors in the first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs.
After dropping two straight games, the Cavaliers took care of business at home to reestablish their series lead. Harden has been solid through five games, posting averages of 22.0 points, 6.2 assists, 4.4 rebounds, 2.0 steals and 3.2 three-pointers.
