There are no easy games moving forward for the struggling Los Angeles Clippers, a team that hasn't won since trading for James Harden. But on Friday night, Harden showed why the Clippers upended their wing-heavy core and went all-in on his talent. With less than 10 seconds left and the game tied at 100 apiece in their In-Season Tournament battle against the Houston Rockets, Harden nailed a classic stepback four-point play over former teammate Jae'Sean Tate, giving the Clippers a four-point lead en route to a 106-100 win — their first in the Harden era.

Harden was simply incredible on Friday night for the Clippers; he finished the game with 24 points, nine rebounds, and seven assists while shooting a pristine 72.7 percent from the field (8-11). And on the night, the Beard continued his climb atop the all-time assists rankings.

With his seven dimes for the Clippers on the night, James Harden now has 7,043 career assists, which breaks a deadlock between him and San Antonio Spurs legend Tony Parker for 19th on the all-time dimes leaderboard.

Harden has always preached patience for fans of the team who have grown concerned over the Clippers' inability to secure a victory since his arrival. The Beard always contended that he was still playing himself into game shape, and perhaps, he is now all the way back after not having a regular training camp, especially in light of his spirited all-around effort against the Rockets.

At this point, there remains a lot of work to be done for the Clippers. They still take too many contested jumpshots, which isn't exactly a recipe for offensive success, regardless of the shot-making talent they possess on the roster. But at the very least, with James Harden rounding into form, the Clippers head back to the road with hopes of turning things around after a dreadful start.