Wrist injury won’t sideline Harden

James Harden will play on Sunday night when the Rockets visit the Mavericks after X-rays on his injured right wrist were negative.

Harden first injured it March 3 in a win over the Celtics and aggravated it Friday night in a fall in the first half of a victory over 76ers. The win extended the Rockets winning streak to a season-high seven games.

Harden leads the NBA in scoring with 36.6 points a game. He said when he fell Friday that he was worried the injury was worse than it was.

He says: “I was. But I’m happy it’s not.”

As for what he can do to protect his wrist, Harden says: “Just try to not fall on it. That’s the only thing I can do. Keep icing it, keep getting treatment on it. But when you keep falling on it, it keeps aggravating it and it keeps getting worse.”

The Rockets’ recent surge has the team in third place in the Western Conference behind the Warriors and Nuggets.

Lakers forward Brandon Ingram will miss the rest of the season after being diagnosed with a deep venous thrombosis in his right arm. Ingram has missed the Lakers’ last two games after he reported shoulder pain after Monday’s shootaround. A deep venous thrombosis is a condition caused by a blood clot, frequently accompanied by swelling and pain in a limb. Ingram is averaging a career-best 18.3 points and 5.1 rebounds per game along with 3.0 assists . ... The league fined All-Star forward Paul George $25,000 for criticizing the officiating after the Thunder’s loss to the Clippers on Friday.