During NBA Cup action on Friday night, the Los Angeles Clippers faced off against the Dallas Mavericks in a battle between two struggling teams. The Clippers were still without Kawhi Leonard, who's dealing with ankle and foot injuries at this moment, so James Harden once again bore the burden of having to snap his team's six-game losing streak despite being on the road.
That's exactly what Harden did. He popped off for his best game of the 2025-26 season thus far, dropping a vintage stat-sheet stuffing performance — 41 points, 14 rebounds, and 11 assists — in a 133-127 victory over the Mavericks in double overtime.
In so doing, Harden made Clippers history by being the first-ever player in the franchise's 56 seasons of existence to put up a 40-point triple-double, as noted by NBA insider Marc Stein. Moreover, as per ClutchPoints Clippers beat reporter Tomer Azarly, Harden became the oldest player in NBA history to record a 40-point triple-double. At 36 years and 81 days old, he surpassed Larry Bird (35 years, 99 days) for that old man feat.
Harden may no longer be the superstar he once was, but he remains an incredible player who gets his teams wins during the regular season. Now, he's facing perhaps the most difficult challenge of his career. The Clippers are devoid of shot creators amid Leonard's injury and Bradley Beal being out for the rest of the season, so the onus is on Harden to carry this team. And to his credit, he's been excellent in doing so.
Nonetheless, Leonard may have to return soon so that Harden won't burn himself out carrying the team this early in the year.
Clippers move to 4-8 on the season after NBA Cup win vs. Mavericks
Many looked at the Clippers and thought that they were one of the most improved teams in the league this past offseason, if not outright the most improved. But little did everyone know that Beal was going to stink and miss a good chunk of the season, Chris Paul is downright washed, and so is Brook Lopez. John Collins hasn't been very good either.
The Clippers are in dire straits, and it's not quite clear if Harden will be able to keep this elite play going for long enough to keep his team alive in a stacked Western Conference.
