West Notes: Clippers, James Harden, Suns, Lakers

Clippers

Coach Tyronn Lue suggested James Harden looks ready for a game after a recent practice.

“He pushed the pace, he pushed the basketball, made plays for his teammates and he looked really good,” Lue said, via Andrew Grief of the LA Times.

Harden is expected to be in the lineup for Monday’s road game against the Knicks. Lue indicated it could take a minute for Harden to fit with the three other stars — Paul George, Kawhi Leonard and Russell Westbrook.

“When you have four guys that can score the basketball and make plays, you know, this is just gonna be a process understanding our rotations, how we want to play, who we want to have on the floor together,” Lue said.

• President of basketball operations Lawrence Frank said he’s confident the Harden addition will work out. “James Harden should have been an All-Star last year,” Frank told reporters. “But he’s a 10-time All-Star. He has an elite skill set, and all he cares about is one thing: He wants to win a championship for the L.A. Clippers. He wants to be part of something bigger than himself. He’s had all the individual awards. He’s about doing something really special.”

Suns

Star forward Kevin Durant said the Suns’ slow start is nothing with which to be concerned.

“It is still early,” Durant said. “I know we want to win every game and we know our fan base wants to win every game, but keep rallying, keep moving on to the next one. We’ve got a three-game road trip. Try to lock in and do our best to come back home with some wins.”

• Coach Frank Vogel is “hopeful” guard Devin Booker will be able to play vs. the Pistons on Sunday, via Duane Rankin of the Arizona Republic. Booker sat out Saturday’s road game vs. the 76ers with ankle soreness.

Lakers

• The Lakers will have just eight available players for Saturday’s rematch with the Magic in Orlando. Taurean Prince, Rui Hachimura, Jarred Vanderbilt, Gabe Vincent and Jalen Hood-Schifino are all out.
• This marks the first of a four-game trip for the Lakers. As one scout told Hoops Wire, “As long as they have LeBron James and Anthony Davis, and to a lesser extent, Austin Reaves too, they’ll be fine.”