Harden (toe) sits out short-handed Rockets’ loss

Nick Nurse said that Joel Embiid’s injury which forced the center to leave the Philadelphia 76ers’ loss to the Golden State Warriors in the fourth quarter was not related to the center’s previous knee injury that held him out in recent games.

Embiid left the game after Jonathan Kuminga landed on his leg.

Embiid is scheduled for an MRI.

Nurse added that Embiid felt good before the Warriors game, and the medical staff was comfortable clearing him to play.

The Phoenix Suns made waves when news leaked that they plan to move on from Chris Paul on his current contract. The Suns will explore the trade market for Paul but could eventually waive the veteran guard. That could lead to re-signing Paul at a lesser salary or waiving and stretching Paul to create salary cap flexibility.

An option that has emerged is Phoenix making a run at Philadelphia 76ers guard James Harden. Harden has a player option for next season that most expect him to decline.

ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne said that the Suns going after Harden was “in the wind” over the last month or so. Shelburne also suggested that Phoenix wouldn’t waive Paul “unless they feel pretty good about someone else”. Harden played his college basketball at Arizona State, and he’s known to be close with Kevin Durant.