Subscribe
Follow Us
James Harden and the Los Angeles Clippers are in a battle with Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets, with the series shifting to Denver for Game 5. Harden has been strong for most of this series, but had a disappointing Game 4 performance at home.
Tyronn Lue isn't worried and knows what the Clippers need to do to adjust.
What James Harden has to do in Game 5, per Tyronn Lue
James Harden recorded 15 points, four rebounds, and 11 assists on 5-of-11 shooting in the Clippers' 101-99 loss to the Nuggets in Game 4. Harden, however, had just only six shot attempts through three quarters of play, which was a significant reason the Nuggets held an 85-65 lead going into the fourth quarter.
Through three quarters of play, Harden had eight points, four rebounds, seven assists, two steals, and four turnovers on 2-of-6 shooting in 30 minutes and 52 seconds of play. This is a player who, in the first three games of the series, averaged 23.3 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 9.0 assists, including a 32-point, 11-assist outing in Game 1 of the series.
Tyronn Lue says the Nuggets essentially tried to take Harden out of the game, forcing other players like Norman Powell, Kris Dunn, Derrick Jones Jr., and Nicolas Batum to beat them.
“They decided they're going to take James out of the series, or try to take him out of the series,” the Clippers' coach of James Harden. “James is a dynamic player. He can beat you with the pass, he can beat you with his scoring. If they're gonna do that, we just gotta make the right play. We know what we should be doing.”
Tyronn Lue on James Harden having just 6 shot attempts through 3 quarters of Game 4:
“They decided they're going to take James out of the series, or try to take him out of the series. James is a dynamic player. He can beat you with the pass, he can beat you with his scoring. If… pic.twitter.com/GUl6s2JNny
— Tomer Azarly (@TomerAzarly) April 28, 2025
A lot of the shots that fell for the team in Game 3 simply did not in Game 4, despite a number of high-quality looks. The Clippers shot just 10-of-30 from 3 in Game 4 after shooting 18-of-39 from three in Game 3.
“All these games are the same,” Tyronn Lue said. “You've got to be ready to come out and compete from the start. You've got to have an attack mentality on both sides of the basketball, and you've got to go from there. I thought last game, they came out and attacked us early and kind of had us on our heels to start the game.”
“We know there's a sense of urgency from Game 1. It's not just because it's 2-2. We understand when the playoffs start, you've got to have urgency from the beginning. As soon as the jumpball goes up, you've got to be ready to go, and you've got to be impactful in any way you can. We know we've got to start the games better. In Games 2 and 3, they had 16 points in the first four and a half minutes, and in Game 4, they had 20 points in the first four and a half minutes. We've got to start games better, especially with a defensive identity.”
Tyronn Lue was asked what the Clippers do now or do differently with Nikola Jokic averaging a triple double for the series:
Ty Lue: “We'll see. We'll see tomorrow.” 😏
“What does that entail, we'll see?”
“We'll see.” pic.twitter.com/X21dFLqWR2
— Tomer Azarly (@TomerAzarly) April 28, 2025
Harden will have to do a much better job of picking his spots in Game 5 and giving the Clippers the scoring punch they'll need.
For the series, James Harden is averaging 21.3 points, 4.8 rebounds, 9.5 assists, and 1.3 blocks per game while shooting 43.5 percent from the field and 40 percent from three.
The Clippers and Nuggets will tip off Game 5 of their best-of-seven series on Tuesday night at 7 PM PST on TNT. Game 6 will be back in Los Angeles on Thursday night, and a potential Game 7 would be back in Denver on Saturday.
