The Los Angeles Clippers' losing skid is over. And the man blamed mostly for it, James Harden, played hero to make sure the team doesn't lose for seven straight games.
With their NBA In-Season Tournament game against the Houston Rockets tied at 100-100 with roughly 22 seconds left on the clock, the Clippers knew they had one last chance to score. Harden initially passed the ball to Kawhi Leonard to take the game-winning shot, but with The Klaw being tightly guarded, he had to give the ball back to Harden.
Harden didn't waste the chance to prove himself, delivering his patented stepback triple as the clock trickled down to its last few seconds in the final quarter. Even better, The Beard got the foul for the four-point play.
Harden made the ensuing free throw to give the Clippers the lead for good. In the end, the LA franchise secured the 106-100 win to stop their slide from the standings.
Another angle of VINTAGE James Harden taking the lead for the Clippers đđ„pic.twitter.com/8yRek0dbi0
â ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) November 18, 2023
James Harden finished with 24 points on top of nine rebounds, seven assists and one block. He also made history on the night by surpassing Tony Parker for 19th on the NBA's all-time assists list.
Both Kawhi Leonard and Paul George breached the 20-point mark as well, with the former tallying 26 points along with eight rebounds, two assists and five steals, and the latter adding 23 points, eight boards, three assists and two steals.
Clippers fans are ecstatic
Following James Harden's clutch performance, Clippers fans couldn't contain their delight. While it's only one win, the victory is pretty symbolic since it shows the team is finally starting to figure it out.
With the doubts about the Clippers' trade for Harden starting to intensify, the win couldn't come at a better time. Some also pointed out that he did it against his former team, who refused to get him back when he expressed interest in reuniting with them before the 2023-24 season started.
âJames Harden gets his revenge shot against the Rockets, whose decision not to bring him back to Houston last summer played a massive part in his messy Philly exit. And the Clippers, who had lost six straight and all five since Harden came to town, finally get a win,â one fan said.
Another Clippers supporter shared, âJames Harden played much much better tonight and got us that win but I'm already seeing too much Russ slander postgame. At the end of the day Westbrook made the sacrifice to help us win âat all costsâ lower minutes and money. A true winning mentality, he will be rewarded.â
A third fan exclaimed, âJames Harden is back!â
Here are more reactions to Harden's game-winning play for LA:
The crowd erupts as James Harden comes through in the clutch đ„đ„đ„ pic.twitter.com/BrbCwmlo7d
â Kelli Johnson (@KelliJohnsonTV) November 18, 2023
James Harden I got something for you pic.twitter.com/pOpL7ziC7M
â Bryce (@avgcowboyfan) November 18, 2023
#Clippernation to James Harden right now pic.twitter.com/uPaPXZGKeH
â Sam (CLIPNATION) (@solitarypotato) November 18, 2023
The Clippers are now 4-7 on the season with the win, though they certainly have plenty of work to do before they are able to get back to 0.500 and contend for a playoff spot. They remain outside the playoff and play-in picture, with the Golden State Warriors, Phoenix Suns, New Orleans Pelicans and Los Angeles Lakers occupying the lower seeds of the West.
The good thing for the Clips is they still have plenty of time left to steer the ship to the right direction and get their season back on track. The victory over the Rockets is a big step in the right direction. Now, they just have to do it consistently and prove they can.