Will James Harden Play Tonight? Houston Rockets vs Dallas Mavericks: Injury Updates, Expected Lineups, and Game Prediction

The Dallas Mavericks will travel to Houston for their Monday night battle against the Rockets. The game will take place in the Toyota Center at 8:00 PM ET. Both sides have had a rather slow start to the season and must be eager to get the victory.

As of now, the Houston Rockets are 2-2 this season after winning their last two games against the Kings. Furthermore, they got their last win without their franchise star James Harden. John Wall and Christian Wood took over the game and never let control of the game.

But can they continue this newfound form against the Mavericks? Take a look at the injury updates and the expected lineups for both the teams.

Dallas Mavericks injury updates and predicted lineup

Following their defeat against the Chicago Bulls, Dallas’ record has dropped to 2-4 this season. They are in dire need of some major changes in their approach as they are now dealing with injuries to both of their superstars.

While Kristaps Porzingis is still awaiting his return, Luka Doncic has also suffered a quad injury. Both are listed as doubtful for their next game against the Rockets. So the expected lineup for the Mavs is Jalen Brunson (G), Tim Hardaway Jr. (G), Josh Richardson (F), Dorian Finney-Smith (F), and Dwight Powell (C).

Houston Rockets injury updates and predicted lineup

After a clumsy start to the season, the Rockets are finally picking up the slack. Their offseason acquisitions, John Wall and Christian Wood are carrying the team on their backs. It appears that they need to do the same against the Mavericks as James Harden might be out for this game, too. He is still listed probable in their latest injury report.

Other than Harden, there are no new additions made to the injury report. A couple of their players are still out due to NBA’s COVID-19 protocol. Keeping that in mind, the expected line for the Rockets is John Wall (G), Eric Gordon (G), Danuel House (F), PJ Tucker (F), and Christian Wood (C).

Game Prediction

Despite James Harden most likely sitting out the game, the Rockets have an upper hand over the Mavericks. They should win this game and improve their record to 3-2 in the first 5 games of the season.