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Jamal CollierESPN
CHICAGO — Philadelphia 76ers guard James Harden sat out Wednesday’s game against the Chicago Bulls with Achilles soreness, but coach Doc Rivers said he did not have long-term concerns about Harden’s status.
Rivers said Harden was feeling some discomfort in his left foot on Monday, when he scored five points on 2-of-14 shooting in 46 minutes in a double-overtime loss to the Bulls.
According to Rivers, Harden’s injury is something he has been dealing with, and the team decided to rest him out of caution.
“No concerns,” Rivers said before Wednesday’s game. “It just flared up a couple times and we decided instead of doing the back-and-forth, the dance, let’s just sit him down, get him rest and make sure he’s right.”
The Sixers were also without forward Jalen McDaniels (hip) on Wednesday.
Harden is averaging 21.4 points, 10.8 assists and 6.3 rebounds in 53 games for Philadelphia this season. Aside from sitting twice on the second night of a back-to-back, he has played in every game for the Sixers since the All-Star break.
Following Wednesday’s game, the Sixers will head to the West Coast for a three-game road trip, starting with a matchup against the Golden State Warriors on Friday, before facing the Phoenix Suns on Saturday and Denver Nuggets on Monday.
“Especially going into the playoffs, you just want guys to be right,” Rivers said. “No reason to take any chances.”