Cavs’ James Harden intends to play through thumb injury

Cavaliers guard James Harden intends to play the fracture to his right thumb, according to ESPN’s Shams Charania.

For the record, Harden is left-handed. For the record, he also hates missing games. The injury, while worth monitoring, is hardly the sort of thing that has Harden and the Cavs sounding the alarms.

Harden has been evaluated by a hand specialist and no surgery is required. He’s long been known to avoiding resting and his willingness to play through pain.

“There’s going to be a lot of managing of the pain through treatment over the next few days,” Charania said.

Harden is listed as questionable for the Cavs’ game Wednesday night at Milwaukee. Donovan Mitchell (groin) and Evan Mobley (injury management) are out for rest purposes.

The Cavs (37-22) are tied for third in the Eastern Conference after Tuesday’s home win over the Knicks. They’re 6-1 since acquiring Harden in the trade with the Clippers on February 6. Overall, they’ve won 13 of 15.

Harden has been excellent since arriving from L.A., averaging 18.9 points and 8.0 assists while shooting efficiently across the board. More than the numbers, though, he’s stabilized the Cavs.

Coach Kenny Atkinson said that Harden’s arrival has brought “renewed confidence” to a team that has now won 13 of its past 15 games.

Harden, for his part, isn’t acting like someone planning to slow down.

“We’ve got a few more notches to get to,” he said Tuesday, emphasizing defense and focus down the stretch.